Chelsea vs Leeds: How Xabi Alonso Could Set Up His Starting 11 In The Carabao Cup Tie

Chelsea vs Leeds is set to bring significant rotation from Xabi Alonso, with Levi Colwill available but Moisés Caicedo, Marco Palestra, Jordan Henderson and Emmanuel Emegha all ruled out.

Chelsea host Leeds United in the Carabao Cup third round at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, September 9, kick-off 8pm BST, with the match live on Sky Sports Main Event. Based on Alonso’s own comments and what his side showed against Arsenal, here’s the lineup the Blues could field.

Chelsea vs Leeds Team News: What Alonso Confirmed

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Alonso ruled in one player and ruled out four. Levi Colwill, an unused substitute in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Arsenal due to a fitness issue, is back available, Alonso confirmed in his pre-match press conference.

Moisés Caicedo and summer signing Marco Palestra are both still out, with Alonso unwilling to rush either back: “No, not yet. They are still not ready to go, and it’s not the moment to take an early risk.

So we go game by game with them, but it’s too early,” he told Chelsea’s official site. Jordan Henderson and Emmanuel Emegha remain unavailable as well.

Available: Levi Colwill Unavailable: Moisés Caicedo, Marco Palestra, Jordan Henderson, Emmanuel Emegha Also out of first-team contention (not injury-related): Kendry Paez, blocked from selection until January after his loan return, as reported by SportBible

What The Arsenal Game Tells Us

Alonso has used a 3-4-2-1 structure throughout Chelsea’s opening Premier League matches — Palmer and Rogers as the two 10s behind João Pedro, with Fofana, Lacroix and Colwill (when fit) across the back three — although injuries and squad limitations have already forced him to adjust personnel within it, with the Guardian noting his midfield options have been stretched thin since Caicedo’s setback.

That shape lost 2-1 at Arsenal on Sunday. The Carabao Cup — with Chelsea also facing Hull in the league on Saturday — is the obvious moment for Alonso to either rotate personnel within that same system, or use the tie to experiment with a flatter back four altogether.

Given how many first-choice defenders and midfielders are unavailable (Caicedo, Palestra, Henderson) or need managing (Colwill just back from a knock), a back four is the more interesting scenario worth building a prediction around — even though it’s the bolder call.

Chelsea vs Leeds Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1)

Most predicted XIs doing the rounds are simply rotating personnel inside Alonso’s established 3-4-2-1. Ours works differently: it’s built entirely from what Alonso has actually said this week, rather than assumed continuity with his Premier League setup.

Penders

Gusto — Fofana — Colwill — Chavarría

Lavia — Barco

Estêvão — João Pedro — Quenda

Welbeck

The reasoning:

• Penders in goal is close to automatic — the Carabao Cup is his clearest route to minutes with Robert Sánchez established as Alonso’s Premier League No. 1.
• Colwill starts almost by default given Alonso’s own confirmation he’s fit, and centre-back is otherwise thin with Palestra still sidelined.
• Gusto and Chavarría get a look at full-back in a more conventional back four, rather than the wing-back roles Alonso has used in his 3-4-2-1.
• Lavia is one of the only senior midfield options left standing with Caicedo and Henderson both out, which makes his inclusion close to compulsory. Barco is the rotation candidate alongside him.
• João Pedro moves into a No. 10 role rather than his usual central striker spot, which would be a genuine tactical wrinkle worth watching, with Welbeck taking the No. 9 role instead.

Why Estêvão Could Start Against Leeds

This is the single strongest piece of evidence in Alonso’s press conference. Estêvão has played just 96 minutes across four matches this season, 80 of them in the EFL Cup win over Luton — and reports out of Brazil this week suggested he’s growing frustrated enough with his lack of game time to consider a January exit.

Asked directly about it, Alonso didn’t just wave the story away — he made a point of defending the teenager: “No, Este is ready, he’s training well. The other day [against Arsenal], he had a very good impact, he had a great chance. So he’s fully involved and with a very good attitude every day,” Alonso told reporters, per Sports Mole.

That’s not the language of a manager planning to leave a player out again. Multiple outlets now expect Estêvão to start against Leeds, most likely in place of Cole Palmer or Morgan Rogers — and with Chelsea’s next fixture against Hull three days later, this is the natural game to finally give him that involvement without risking either starter’s rhythm in the league.

The Safer Alternative: Alonso Sticks With 3-4-2-1

It’s worth being honest that rotating personnel while keeping the same 3-4-2-1 shape Alonso has used all season is the more conservative — and arguably more likely — prediction.

The Standard’s current predicted XI keeps that structure intact: Penders; Fofana, Lacroix, Colwill; Neto, Barco, Lavia, Chavarría; Rogers, Palmer; Welbeck, according to The Standard.

That version simply freshens up the personnel inside Alonso’s existing system — a lower-risk approach for a manager still finding his feet in his first season at the club.

Chelsea vs Leeds: Final Prediction

The safer prediction is Alonso retaining his 3-4-2-1. But the combination of Colwill’s return, Caicedo and Henderson’s continued absence, and Estêvão’s expected involvement makes this one of the more genuinely unpredictable Chelsea lineups of the season so far.

Our call is the back four: Penders in goal, Colwill restored at centre-back, Lavia holding the midfield by necessity, and Estêvão finally given the start Alonso has publicly backed him for, with Welbeck leading the line.