Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has withdrawn new injury information for Cole Palmer ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League clash with Barcelona.
The Blues are preparing for a difficult game in midweek, when they face current La Liga champions Barça in the Champions League for the fifth time this season, but Maresca’s side will be looking to bounce back from their 1-1 draw against Qarabag last time out.
However, that will be a cause for concern for the manager as the West Londoners have been struggling with injuries for quite some time, with the likes of Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia and Palmer still sidelined and missing the 2-0 win over Burnley at the weekend.
The Italian was no doubt unhappy with the England international missing so much of the season, saying in January: “His teammates consider him to be a top player, so we need Cole to come forward at that moment as we face some challenges and are looking for the closest player to help us.
“In that moment, in the second half against Wolves, he showed his teammates that he was a leader on the field.”
However, ahead of Tuesday’s game against Barcelona, a promising update regarding the 23-year-old’s injury has been released…
Enzo Maresca withdraws Cole Palmer injury information
As reported by Football London, Maresca confirmed that Palmer has already returned to training, saying: “Yeah, I don’t know when that will be, but it’s definitely going to be soon. He’s already been on the pitch and touched the ball and it feels good.”
The 45-year-old was unable to confirm whether the £130,000-a-week star would be available for the grueling test against Barça, but it appears he is expected to make a quick return, which would be welcome news ahead of a difficult fixture.
Chelsea’s upcoming fixtures | date |
barcelona (h) | November 25th |
arsenal (h) | November 30th |
leeds united (a) | December 3rd |
AFC Bournemouth (a) | December 6th |
atalanta | December 9th |
The Blues may still have a chance to win the Premier League, having moved into second place thanks to their victory at Turf Moor, and could go on to achieve something big by defeating league leaders Arsenal at Stamford Bridge this Sunday.
But Maresca will need to have the best players available if Chelsea are to have any chance of beating the Gunners, and the former Manchester City man definitely falls into that category, having scored 45 goals and provided 29 assists in 101 appearances since moving to west London.
Palmer also demonstrated his ability to play in big games by scoring in the Euro 2024 final against Spain, and will be hoping to get consistent game time to ensure a World Cup place for England.
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