Alex MacQuoid
Cole Palmer’s Unfortunate Injury
Cole Palmer will miss Chelsea’s next three fixtures after fracturing a toe on his left foot. The injury occurred when he stubbed his toe on a door during the night, delaying his return from a groin injury.
The 23-year-old England forward was set to resume first-team training this week after two months out. However, the latest setback means he will miss Saturday’s Premier League game at Burnley, Tuesday’s Champions League fixture against Barcelona, and next weekend’s match against Arsenal.
Manager’s Update
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca confirmed Palmer’s absence, stating, “He is probably not available for Saturday for sure, Barcelona for sure or Arsenal for sure.” Maresca added, “Unfortunately, he had an accident at home where he hit his toe. It is nothing important, but he won’t be back in the next week.”
Maresca shared a personal anecdote, “I wake up many times during the night – I hit my head, my legs, my everything – so it can happen.”
Palmer’s Last Appearance
Palmer’s most recent appearance was during Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on 20 September. Since then, Chelsea have played 11 games in all competitions, winning eight and losing two, and currently sit third in the Premier League table.
Team Dynamics
Maresca emphasized Palmer’s importance, saying, “I think that his team-mates are better players with Cole playing. I feel much better when Cole is on the pitch, and we all want Cole on the pitch.” He added, “At the same time, when Cole is not on the pitch, we need to find a solution. The team is doing very well but we are better with Cole. He was almost back with us.”
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Other Team Updates
Enzo Fernandez, Pedro Neto, and Benoit Badiashile are all available for the trip to Turf Moor. Chelsea have Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi in their so-called ‘bomb squad.’ Maresca confirmed nothing has changed with the pair, despite Disasi’s involvement with the Under-21s and first-team training during the international break.
Maresca stated, “Axel and Raheem are Chelsea players. Axel is helping the second team, he’s helping the younger players. During the international break we had just five, six players here, so we needed some second-team players. Axel was part of some sessions with second-team players, but I think it was just one session with us.”