Xabi Alonso has confirmed that five key Chelsea players will be available for Saturday afternoon's clash with Bournemouth.

Chelsea had several players, including key personnel, on their injury list over the international break.

Reece James, Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, and Moises Caicedo have all missed international duty due to injuries.

James sustained a hamstring injury that kept him out of Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat to Brentford before the break. Palmer and Joao Pedro pulled out of international duty with England and Brazil due to muscle and knee issues, respectively. 

Meanwhile, Caicedo has virtually been out since the start of the season, having only featured for 14 minutes before suffering a calf injury setback during Chelsea’s win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

Fortunately for Chelsea, all four are expected to be in the squad to face Bournemouth. Marco Palestra is also set to be available for the Blues.

“Yes, they have been able to train,” Alonso said in his press conference on Friday when asked about James, Palmer, and Joao Pedro.

“Some earlier than others. Marco Palestra as well. That was the plan. They have trained well, and they’re ready to go.”

About Palmer, in particular, Alonso added: “He has trained the last week. He felt better.

"The most important thing for Cole is to be fully fit and enjoy his game. We have good feelings with him.”

The Chelsea manager also confirmed that Caicedo is “ready to go” for the Bournemouth game.

As previously reported, the Ecuador international featured, albeit minimally, in Chelsea’s behind-closed-doors friendly defeat to Championship side Portsmouth. Caicedo is understood to have been involved to get some minutes under his belt and did not even complete the first half.

Still, the possible returns of these four key players are great news for Chelsea, who will look to bounce back with a win at Stamford Bridge against Brighton.

Alonso also made it clear how Caicedo’s absence has had a big impact on the team’s inconsistent start to the season.

“Any team missing a player of his quality, his dynamic, we have missed him for sure,” the Chelsea boss said about Caicedo. “And now we are happy we have him back.

“We did not want to take risks against Brentford, for example. He feels much better.”

On the other hand, Jamie Gittens, who had to withdraw early from international duty with England Under-21s, is expected to be sidelined for “a few weeks”.

The young winger sustained an ankle injury during England Under-21s’ win over Kazakhstan early in the break.

“He’s not going to be fit for tomorrow; that’s the bad news,” Alonso clarified.

While it is early in the season, the Bournemouth game may somewhat feel like a must-win for Chelsea, who sit 10th after two wins, two losses, and a draw in their first five games.

They are only two points behind fourth-placed Brentford, but dropping more points at home could hurt the team's morale even more amid the challenging run of fixtures in October. The run includes a derby against Tottenham Hotspur, a visit to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, and a home game against Manchester United at the end of the month.