According to a report by Metro on Friday, October 30, 2026, the Blues are hoping to recover from their disappointing defeat to Tottenham last weekend and return to winning ways. However, their preparations have been affected by a growing list of injured players, with Maxence Lacroix becoming the latest addition.

The French defender, who joined Chelsea in a £52 million summer transfer, suffered a suspected hamstring injury during Wednesday's EFL Cup match against Liverpool. He reportedly picked up the problem while attempting to follow Cody Gakpo and was unable to continue, forcing Chelsea to replace him with Levi Colwill.

Jorrel Hato is another defender expected to miss the Manchester United encounter. The youngster was unavailable for the Liverpool match and is still working towards regaining full fitness, making his participation on Saturday unlikely.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez also remains unavailable as he continues recovering from surgery on a fractured jaw. The injury occurred during Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Everton. However, Alonso has offered some encouragement regarding his progress, suggesting that the Argentine could return for next week's Premier League meeting with Sunderland.

Joao Pedro will also be absent from the squad as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury. The problem previously forced him to miss Chelsea's defeat against Tottenham.

Meanwhile, captain Reece James is facing a considerably longer period on the sidelines. The defender underwent minor knee surgery earlier this month and is not expected to return to action until the beginning of 2027.

Jamie Gittens completes the list of unavailable players, with the winger still recovering from an ankle injury.

These setbacks mean Alonso could be without six important members of his squad when Chelsea welcome Manchester United. Their absence presents an additional challenge for the manager as he attempts to strengthen the team's performance and secure a positive result.

Manchester United are also reportedly dealing with injury problems ahead of their trip to Stamford Bridge, meaning both sides could enter the contest without some of their key players.