Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo did not make the squad for the Blues' Premier League opener against Fulham, a surprise to fans who have grown used to seeing the Ecuador star in the starting XI.
Caicedo went 76 minutes in the London club's final preseason contest, a 3-1 win over Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Aug. 15.
But Caicedo and Italian midfielder Marco Palestra, who also played in the match against the La Liga side, were left out of the squad for Monday's game — though they did make the short trip from Chelsea to Craven Cottage.
Caicedo and Palestra not in the squad but both are here at Craven Cottage. #CFC pic.twitter.com/JLZLwxKVLl
— Lloyd Canfield (@LloydCanfield) August 24, 2026
In his pre-match interview, Chelsea coach Xabi Alonso said "setbacks" led to the pair not being
included in the squad.
"During the week they had setbacks. With Moi — and with any [player] — we don't want to take too much risk," Alonso told Sky Sports. "They weren't ready to play tonight. We need to go week-by-week, but for tonight they were not ready."
In their place, the left side of Chelsea's four-man midfield features Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia and Dutch wingback Jorell Hato, with Morgan Rogers debuting ahead of them in attack after arriving from Aston Villa this summer.
The absence of Caicedo is even more surprising because of the consistency he's brought in the past. He played 55 matches for Chelsea across all competitions in 2025-26 — missing a game against Man City because of a suspension but being present in almost every other contest — and played at least 45 matches in both of the prior two seasons.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Moises Caicedo not playing for Chelsea in season opener vs. Fulham?
