Chelsea have confirmed what most FPL managers feared. João Pedro has a thigh injury and will be out for a few weeks. Xabi Alonso said so on Tuesday, ahead of Wednesday’s League Cup tie at Anfield. The game has changed his status from “75% chance of playing” to “injured, unknown return date”.
The Brazilian is owned by 69.4% of managers. Only Haaland is owned by more. Since Saturday, 445,000 managers have sold him, more than any other player in the game.
What we know
- João Pedro picked up the injury in training last week, which is why he was not in the squad for Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham.
- Alonso: “He’s going to be a few weeks out. Let’s see how many.” The manager would not give a return date.
- According to reports from the press conference, there is a lot of fluid in the thigh and the club is still assessing how serious it is.
- One thing is certain: he misses Wednesday’s League Cup game at Liverpool and “the next games”.
Sources: ESPN, Goal, The Independent and PA (reports from Tuesday’s press conference). The club has not yet published a detailed diagnosis.
How many gameweeks he will really miss
The calendar matters more than the number of weeks. After Gameweek 10 there is an international break, and the league only returns on 21 November.
| Gameweek | Chelsea fixture | Date (UK) | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| GW9 | Manchester United (H) | Sat 31 Oct, 12:30 | 4 |
| GW10 | Sunderland (A) | Sun 8 Nov, 14:00 | 3 |
| — | international break | 9–20 Nov | — |
| GW11 | Leeds (H) | Sat 21 Nov, 15:00 | 3 |
| GW12 | Nottingham Forest (A) | Fri 27 Nov, 20:00 | 3 |
If “a few weeks” means roughly three, João Pedro is targeting the Leeds game on 21 November. That would mean missing two gameweeks: United at home and Sunderland away. If the recovery drags on, GW11 or GW12 could follow. Only the first two games are certain.
This is similar to September. He was injured before an international break then too. We wrote that he would miss one gameweek, not three. He came back against Bournemouth and scored twice. This time the break comes later, so two gameweeks without him are practically certain.
Chelsea do not score without him
In the two league games João Pedro has missed, Chelsea have not scored: 3-0 at Brentford in September and 2-0 against Tottenham on Saturday. On Saturday Morgan Rogers (88 in our rating, 50.1% owned) led the line, with little effect.
Alonso has two options up front. Danny Welbeck (£5.8m) has played only 95 league minutes. Emmanuel Emegha (£4.9m) is fit and could make his debut on Wednesday, but has not played a minute for Chelsea yet. For FPL, both are an unknown rather than a replacement for now.
The good news concerns Palmer (27.5% owned). He serves his suspension for the red card against Tottenham in Wednesday’s League Cup game, so he is available against United on Saturday. The game shows no flag for him.
What to do if you own João Pedro
- You have a free transfer and a weak bench: sell. Two blanks is a lot, and his price will fall with almost half a million managers selling. If you bought him at £7.5m, you get £7.7m today.
- You have a reliable bench forward: you can hold. The bench covers two gameweeks and João Pedro returns after the break without costing you a transfer.
- You are planning a Wildcard: the international break after Gameweek 10 is a good window. You get two quiet weeks and full information on his recovery. The first set of chips has to be used by 2 January anyway.
- Do not take a -4 just to get rid of him unless the replacement really plays every week. Two gameweeks of a good forward can earn back those 4 points, but there is no guarantee.
Who to replace him with
Ratings and ownership from our engine on 27 October. Difficulty covers the next two fixtures (GW9 and GW10).
| Forward | Club | Price | AI Rating | Owned | GW9 / GW10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evanilson | Bournemouth | £6.2m | 89 | 7.7% | Leeds (H) 3 / Ipswich (A) 2 |
| Haaland | Man City | £15.7m | 87 | 78.1% | Brighton (H) 3 / Forest (A) 3 |
| Barry | Everton | £5.6m | 84 | 7.4% | Newcastle (A) 3 / Coventry (H) 2 |
| Calvert-Lewin | Leeds | £6.1m | 84 | 21.4% | Bournemouth (A) 3 / Tottenham (H) 2 |
| N. Jackson | Aston Villa | £6.7m | 82 | 9.6% | Fulham (H) 2 / Man Utd (A) 4 |
| Kostoulas | Brighton | £5.8m | 82 | 10.2% | Man City (A) 5 / Brentford (H) 3 |
| Igor Thiago | Brentford | £7.8m | 82 | 8.8% | Forest (H) 3 / Brighton (A) 4 |
| Isak | Liverpool | £9.0m | 81 | 15.8% | Arsenal (H) 4 / Palace (A) 3 |
The highest-rated forward in the game right now is Evanilson (89, above Haaland). He costs £6.2m, hosts Leeds and then travels to Ipswich. The most-bought player this week is Nicolas Jackson (547,000 transfers in). He has the easiest Gameweek 9 fixture (Fulham at home), but goes to Old Trafford in Gameweek 10. Apart from Haaland, Isak and Igor Thiago, everyone in the table costs less than £7.7m, which is what most of his owners get for João Pedro.
What this changes in our tools
After the 17:00 UK data sync, João Pedro’s rating fell from 88 to 76 and his verdict from “Buy” to “Hold”. The injury status cuts his availability score, but the rest of the rating is based on what he has done this season. So “Hold” is a verdict on the player in the longer run, not on the next two gameweeks.
João Pedro has already dropped out of the Recommended Squad and the Captain Picks for Gameweek 9, with no manual change from us. The full list of injuries before the weekend is in the Injury Centre.
Context for the United game: according to ESPN sources, Michael Carrick will lead Manchester United at Stamford Bridge despite his uncertain future. United are 16th in the table.
Gameweek 9 deadline: Saturday 31 October, 11:00 UK time (first match, Chelsea v United, at 12:30). On Thursday we will publish our full “who to buy” guide for this gameweek.
This article was prepared with the help of AI, based on reports from Xabi Alonso’s press conference (ESPN, Goal, The Independent, PA) and data from the official Fantasy Premier League game on 27 October 2026, then edited and checked by our editors.