Cole Palmer has been cleared to feature against Manchester United tomorrow, Enzo Maresca confirmed, though the remainder of the Chelsea squad will only be evaluated after the final training session.
The Blues make the trip to Old Trafford still reeling from a midweek Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich and were dealt a further blow when forward Cole Palmer appeared injured in the closing stages of the game.
Palmer, who suffered a muscle issue during the warm-up before last month’s victory over West Ham, consequently missed England’s World Cup qualifiers with Andorra and Serbia.
The 23-year-old marked his return by coming off the bench to score in the second half against Brentford — his first Premier League goal from open play since January’s clash with Bournemouth.
Palmer then started against Bayern, finding the net and lasting the full 90 minutes in the Allianz Arena defeat. Yet, concern flared when he appeared to clutch his groin late on, raising the possibility of another spell on the sidelines ahead of Saturday’s showdown in Manchester.
Addressing the situation at Friday’s pre-match press conference, Enzo Maresca insisted Palmer was ‘okay’ but admitted uncertainty remains over the availability of other squad members.
‘Yes, Cole is okay,’ Maresca confirmed at his pre-match press conference. We have a session now; we flew back yesterday.’
On the fitness of his squad, the Italian manager added, ‘here are some doubts, but we haven’t done any sessions after Wednesday’s game, so we will see after.’
Chelsea to end Old Trafford voodoo?
Chelsea arrive at Old Trafford on Saturday, hoping to break the decade-long winless run at the home of Manchester United.
The London giants are winless in their last 12 games against the Red Devils (L5 D7), a run that dates back to May 2013, when Chelsea last left with a 1-0 win.
No other ground has been as unkind to them in the Premier League. Their win rate at Old Trafford sits at just 18% (6/33), the lowest against any opponent they’ve visited on 10 or more occasions.
History offers a reminder of how rare momentum in this fixture has been. After edging United 1-0 in May, Chelsea are aiming for back-to-back league victories over their rivals—something they have not achieved since Carlo Ancelotti oversaw a run of three straight wins between November 2009 and March 2011.
Recent form, though, offers encouragement. The Blues have taken seven points from their last three league encounters with United, and with just one defeat in their past six away league matches (W3D2), they have reason to believe they can finally tilt the balance in their favour.
