Caicedo fit for Bournemouth as Chelsea get injury boost

Moises Caicedo is available for Chelsea's Premier League home fixture against Bournemouth on Saturday, manager Xabi Alonso has confirmed, with four other players also returning from fitness concerns.

The Ecuadorian midfielder has made only one appearance this season — a substitute outing against Brighton in August — after picking up an injury. Caicedo returned to full training during the three-week international break and is in contention to start at Stamford Bridge.

"Yes, he is ready to go," Alonso said. "We have used the time with Moi to get him back fit. He has been training well and he is okay to go."

Reece James, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro are also available after all three withdrew from international duty with England and Brazil due to fitness issues. James and Joao Pedro missed Chelsea's last outing, a trip to Brentford, while Alonso acknowledged Palmer was struggling in that match.

"They have all been able to train, some of them earlier than others," Alonso said. "We knew that going into Brentford we had some players struggling but they have trained well and are ready to go."

On Palmer specifically, Alonso added: "He has trained the last week and has felt better. We didn't want to rush because we had the time. What is most important for Cole is to be fully fit and that he enjoys his game."

Marco Palestra, who has yet to make his competitive debut for the club following a pre-season injury, is also in contention to feature against Bournemouth.

The only negative update from Alonso's pre-match press conference concerned Jamie Gittens, who suffered an ankle injury while on duty with England Under-21s. "He is not going to be fit for tomorrow; that is the bad news from the international break. He picked up an injury on his ankle and is going to be out for a few weeks," Alonso confirmed.