After defeating Manchester United at Stamford Bridge last time out, the Blues are on the road this weekend as we make the long journey to Wearside to face a Sunderland side that have won one of their nine top-flight matches this season.

Alonso will oversee our final pre-match training session tomorrow at Cobham, after which he will decide who starts against the Black Cats.

One choice he may have to make is who starts in goal. Martinez has been sidelined since our win at Everton, after which he underwent jaw surgery, but has returned to training this week wearing protective headgear.

‘Tomorrow we have our last training session before Sunday and we will decide [if he is fit],' Alonso replied when asked about Martinez in his pre-match press conference. 'But he is training well.’

In Martinez's absence, Mike Penders has started our last three matches. And Alonso accepts he may face a difficult decision about who starts between the posts at the Stadium of Light.

‘All the decisions are tough, in all the positions. It is very good that Emi has made a great effort to be back and is ahead of the plan to be part of the team. So, tomorrow we will check and then on Sunday we will take the final decision.’

Alonso will also wait until after tomorrow's session to make a call on the fitness of Moises Caicedo, who was absent from training earlier in the week at Cobham.

The Blues manager said: ‘He had little problems after the last game, so we expect to check tomorrow on different situations and Moi is one of them. It’s a discomfort, more than his calf.’

Three players who will definitely be absent this weekend are Hato, Lacroix and Joao Pedro, and Alonso stated that the trio will be assessed over the international break.

‘He isn’t fit yet,' Alonso said on Hato. 'It will take some more weeks. Not yet to be close, maybe after the international break but it’s going to take longer.

'After these two weeks of the international break, we will see how their recovery is and the progress they make. For sure, ahead of the Leeds game, I will have more of an update. But not today.’