Chelsea will be without several key faces when they travel to face Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday, with manager Alonso facing a number of selection dilemmas ahead of the lunchtime kick-off.

Captain Reece James is a doubt for the fixture after being surprisingly left out of the matchday squad entirely in Chelsea's previous game against Bournemouth. His omission came as a shock given his usual importance to the side, and it remains unclear whether he will be passed fit in time to feature against David Moyes's Everton. Alonso is expected to provide further clarity on James's fitness when he addresses the media at a pre-match press conference at Cobham on Friday.

In James's absence, the Chelsea boss retains plenty of options elsewhere in defence and midfield. Wesley Fofana could continue at right-back, though Josh Acheampong may also be considered for that role. In the double pivot alongside Moises Caicedo, Alonso has the choice of bringing in Valentin Barco or Romeo Lavia, but there is a strong possibility he opts to continue with the experienced Jordan Henderson, who impressed on his home debut for the club by scoring twice and providing an assist against Bournemouth.

At wing-back, competition continues to build. Pedro Neto had often started on the right during periods when another option was sidelined through injury, while Palestra also remains a contender on that flank. On the left side, Jorrel Hato is pushing for a starting role and offers a genuine alternative to Pep Chavarria.

Further forward, Alonso looks likely to stick with the attacking trio that has performed well in recent weeks. Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers are expected to lead the line once again, having formed what has been described as a menacing front three in Chelsea's first five Premier League matches of the campaign. By contrast, younger talents Geovany Quenda and Estevao have been given limited minutes so far this season and are unlikely to feature prominently against Everton.

One confirmed absentee is winger Jamie Gittens, who picked up an ankle injury while on international duty with England's Under-21s. Alonso has confirmed that Gittens will be unavailable for "a few weeks" as he recovers from the issue, ruling him out of contention for this weekend's clash and potentially several fixtures beyond it.

Based on the information available, Chelsea's predicted lineup for the trip to Merseyside is a 3-4-2-1 formation: Martinez in goal; a back three of Fofana, Lacroix and Colwill; Palestra, Caicedo, Henderson and Chavarria across midfield; with Rogers and Palmer in support of lone striker Joao Pedro.

Chelsea's visit to Everton is scheduled for a 12:30pm BST kick-off on Saturday, October 17, at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, with the match set to be broadcast live on TNT Sports. Alonso and his squad will be looking to build on recent momentum despite the uncertainty surrounding James's fitness and the continued absence of Gittens, as they aim to secure a positive result against Moyes's Everton side.

Based on reporting from Standard Football.