Chelsea forward Joao Pedro will sit out Saturday's Premier League lunchtime fixture against Manchester United, with manager Xabi Alonso confirming the Brazilian striker remains sidelined by a thigh injury sustained in training.

Pedro has already missed Chelsea's back-to-back defeats — a 2-0 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and a Carabao Cup fourth-round exit at Anfield, where Liverpool eliminated the Blues on penalties. Saturday's encounter with Manchester United will be his third consecutive absence.

What Alonso said on Pedro's injury

Ahead of the trip to Merseyside, Alonso gave a cautious assessment of his striker's condition. "He has an injury to his thigh and he is going to be out for a few weeks," the Chelsea manager told reporters. "Let's see how many. We don't want to predict on that, but he is not ready for the next games."

No firm return date has been set. After the Manchester United fixture, Chelsea travel to Sunderland's Stadium of Light before the November international break provides a pause in domestic action.

A likely return date

Pedro has not been called up by Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti for the Selecao's friendlies against Japan and Singapore next month. That absence from international duty opens the door for a potential return at Stamford Bridge when Chelsea host Leeds United on November 21.

How much Chelsea miss him

The scale of Pedro's importance to Chelsea is difficult to overstate. In his six Premier League appearances this season, he has scored five goals and contributed three assists — a return that has made Chelsea one of the most potent attacking sides in the division.

Chelsea have won every league game in which Pedro has featured, with the sole exception of a defeat to Arsenal. In the two matches he has missed — against Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur — Chelsea failed to score in either game. Danny Welbeck started against Brentford, while Alonso chose to deploy no recognised striker at all for the Spurs fixture, with Welbeck entering as a late substitute.

Pedro's Chelsea record

Since arriving at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2025, Pedro has repaid the club's significant investment. Despite Chelsea failing to qualify for European competition at the end of a turbulent 2025/26 campaign, he finished the season with 15 Premier League goals — the finest return of his career in England's top flight.

Having previously reached double figures in the Premier League only once, Pedro enters the current campaign in a position to surpass that benchmark comfortably. Chelsea and Alonso will be counting the days until he is back on the pitch.