Overview
- The Brazilian Football Confederation confirmed on Wednesday that João Pedro pulled out of Carlo Ancelotti’s September squad and named Fluminense forward Matheus Martinelli as his replacement.
- Brazil will play two friendlies against Australia and one against India during the international break and Martinelli will join the squad for those fixtures.
- Pedro has started the season in strong form for Chelsea with three goals and three assists in his first four Premier League games.
- Chelsea have not released a medical update and training absences reported this week have raised the prospect that Pedro could miss Friday’s match at Brentford, increasing short-term selection pressure on Xabi Alonso.
- If Pedro is unavailable, Chelsea are likely to turn to veteran options such as Danny Welbeck, and his absence would shift the club’s tactical balance given their recent defensive struggles and Pedro’s early attacking contributions.