Chelsea head into their Premier League fixture against Everton off the back of a 5-1 dismantling of Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge, yet arrive at the Hill Dickinson Stadium with a notable late absentee — Pep Chavarria, who was pictured at the ground before being left out of Xabi Alonso's matchday squad entirely.
The Spanish wing-back had walked the pitch ahead of kick-off and been seen arriving at the stadium, making his absence from the teamsheet all the more baffling to supporters watching online. A small niggle sustained by Chavarria forced him to withdraw from the starting side, having been expected to feature. Jorrel Hato took his place at left wing-back, with that the only alteration Alonso made to the XI that overwhelmed Bournemouth a week earlier.
"[Pep had] a little problem yesterday," Alonso told TNT Sports ahead of the match. "We are not certain of the situation yet because it was late. Jorrel is fit and has played there, so it's just that change."
Chavarria had started each of Chelsea's previous two Premier League outings, against Brentford and Bournemouth, since arriving from Rayo Vallecano in August in a deal worth £16 million. The 28-year-old has made eight appearances in total across all competitions since completing that move.
Elsewhere, Alonso retained Josh Acheampong ahead of Wesley Fofana in a back three alongside Levi Colwill and Maxence Lacroix. Pedro Neto continued at right wing-back, leaving Marco Palestra still waiting for a first competitive start. Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro again formed the attack unchanged from the Bournemouth fixture.
Caicedo carries the captain's armband against Everton, with Colwill having worn it in the previous two matches. Alonso has confirmed that the pair will share the responsibility while Reece James recovers from a knee operation.
James, 26, sustained the injury in training before the Bournemouth game and underwent surgery, which Chelsea confirmed on Friday had been successful. He has since begun rehabilitation with the club's medical staff. Alonso described the situation as disappointing and was candid about the length of the layoff. "It's not going to be a two or three-week thing, it's going to be longer and after that we will see," he told a pre-match press conference.
Jamie Gittens and Emmanuel Emegha remain sidelined, and Malo Gusto has dropped out of the matchday squad altogether. His absence means 16-year-old Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli earns a place on the bench for the second successive Premier League away game.
Reporting: Evening Standard, Mirror, The Sun, Sky Sports, BBC Sport, Football.London.