Joao Pedro Withdraws From Brazil Squad With Injury Ahead of Brentford Clash

Chelsea striker Joao Pedro has pulled out of the Brazil squad for the upcoming international break due to injury, raising fears he could miss Friday's trip to Brentford too.

The 24 year old has been in fine form this season, scoring three goals and setting up three more in the Premier League as part of a front three alongside Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers. Brazil simply cited "injury" as the reason for his withdrawal and have called up Matheus Martinelli as his replacement. The exact nature or severity of the problem hasn't been made public.

Chelsea declined to comment when asked about the situation, though Xabi Alonso is expected to face questions on his striker at his pre-Brentford press conference on Thursday at 1.30pm.

Chelsea fans will be hoping this is just a precaution, but pulling out of international duty altogether suggests he's unlikely to feature this Friday at the very least, a concerning thought given the Blues haven't won at the Brentford Community Stadium since 2021.

There were already some warning signs earlier in the week. Chelsea trained at Cobham, and the first 15 minutes of the session were shown publicly. Joao Pedro wasn't involved in that part of training, and neither were Reece James or Moises Caicedo, who has been managing a calf issue of his own.

If Joao Pedro is ruled out, Danny Welbeck, the 35 year old signed from Brighton over the summer, would likely be handed the responsibility of leading the line.

Joao Pedro had been set to return to the Brazil fold after being left out of their World Cup squad by manager Carlo Ancelotti, who has actually been at several Chelsea games this season keeping an eye on him. Brazil are due to play Australia and India during the break, fixtures that involve a lot of travel for players based in England, including Chelsea's own Estevao.

After Friday's game against Brentford, Chelsea won't play again until Bournemouth visit on Saturday, October 10, following a three week gap in the schedule.