Chelsea team news: Caicedo, James, Palmer and Joao Pedro ready for Bournemouth

Why Chelsea is trending today

Chelsea is trending ahead of their Premier League match against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with kickoff set for 3pm. Manager Xabi Alonso held a pre-match press conference where he confirmed team news, including which injured and rested players are back for the Cherries' visit. Alonso called the three-week international break positive for his squad, though he admitted it was probably too long. The update matters because Chelsea have had a mixed start to the season and were missing several key players heading into the break. This is team news ahead of a match that has not been played yet, not a recap of a final score.

The players coming back

The headline news is Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian midfielder has featured only once all season, a curtailed substitute appearance against Brighton and Hove Albion in August, after an injury kept him out. Five members of Alonso's squad recovered during the break from issues that had kept them sidelined earlier in the season or away from their countries, and Caicedo is one of them. Alonso and his staff used the time at Cobham to work with Caicedo individually. "Yes, he is ready to go," Alonso said, adding Caicedo "has been training well and he is okay to go."

There is also good news elsewhere. Marco Palestra, who has yet to make his competitive debut for Chelsea because of an injury picked up in the final week of preseason, is in contention to feature. Reece James, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro each withdrew from international duty, with England and Brazil respectively, because of fitness concerns, and Palmer was struggling in the win at Brentford before the break. Alonso said the trio "have trained well and are ready to go," and on Palmer specifically said he "has trained the last week and has felt better."

The one injury blow

Not every update was positive. Jamie Gittens suffered an ankle injury while playing for England's under-21 team during the international break. Alonso confirmed Gittens "is not going to be fit for tomorrow" and is "going to be out for a few weeks." It is the only disappointing news to come out of Alonso's press conference.

Where Chelsea and Bournemouth stand

Chelsea sit 10th in the Premier League table with 7 points from five games, a record of two wins, one draw and two losses. They have scored 10 goals and conceded 12 for a goal difference of minus two. Bournemouth are 17th with 3 points. Kickoff at Stamford Bridge is 3pm on Saturday. Fans will find out whether Caicedo, James, Palmer and Joao Pedro start once Alonso names his lineup. As of this writing, the game has not been played.

Facts per Chelsea Football Club, BBC. Opinion is the taproom's.