Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has revealed that star player Cole Palmer may miss the upcoming Premier League match against Arsenal on Sunday.
Palmer has not trained since suffering a strong challenge from Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez last weekend. The Argentine defender was booked for the tackle, which caught Palmer on the right knee, but Maresca argued that the yellow card was an insufficient punishment.
To ensure Palmer gets the necessary rest, he was left out of Chelsea’s Conference League squad for their Thursday clash with Armenian side Noah. Maresca has now confirmed that it would be a risk for Palmer to feature against Arsenal if his condition doesn’t improve before the weekend.
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“It’s definitely a risk at this stage,” Maresca admitted. “He hasn’t trained the last two days, but hopefully he’ll be fit. The tackle was clearly not a normal one. We’re hoping he can recover in time.”
Despite Palmer’s absence, Chelsea have enjoyed a strong start in the Conference League, scoring four goals in each of their opening two fixtures against Gent and Panathinaikos to top the group. Fans will hope for another commanding performance against Noah at Stamford Bridge, although the Armenian side has only conceded once in the group stage so far.
In the Premier League, Chelsea secured a draw against Manchester United but still sit ahead of a struggling Arsenal on goal difference. With anything but a loss on Sunday, they will maintain their position above the Gunners in the standings.