Alonso on Caicedo's fitness, Fernandez's future and Luton

Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Carabao Cup second-round game against League One side Luton Town at Stamford Bridge (19:30 BST). Here are the key lines from his news conference: Alonso confirmed Moises Caicedo and new signing Marco Palestra will not return on Thursday, having missed Monday's Premier League opener at Fulham: "Hopefully Moi can make it for the weekend. We need to chek a little bit more with Marco." There are no new injury concerns after the win at Craven Cottage, with Cole Palmer fine after limping off in the second half. Alonso also confirmed Enzo Fernandez will be involved against Luton, amid continued interest from Manchester City: "He is in the squad, let's see if he has an opportunity. We will decide. He is training well. He is a great professional and he will be involved." Asked if Fernandez will still be at the club after the transfer deadline, Alonso said: "We want the best team possible, we know his qualities. We have to wait, but we think about tomorrow and let's see how things develop." Alonso was asked about any conversations he has had with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez after his mistake led to a goal conceded against Fulham: "Normal conversations. We have talked about how the team did well, what we need to do better. Every game is going to be important and we need to develop and make adjustments." On whether young goalkeeper Mike Penders could feature: "He is in the squad. We will decide and give the team tomorrow to the players. I prefer they know first." On Pedro Neto's best position and future, with the Portugal international linked with a move away: "Wing-back, winger, you can call it whatever you want. The main thing is the quality of the players and we have balance. I won't go into too much detail about conversations. We want to have the best possible squad and let's see what happens." On what team he will select on Thursday: "Knowing we have time for all competitions, every cup and every game is important. We want to have the best competitive team to face Luton with all the respect that everything deserves and Luton is going to be the first one." Listen to live commentary of Chelsea v Luton on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds Follow all of Wednesday's Carabao Cup news conferences and the latest transfer news Got a question about Chelsea? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts [BBC]