Chelsea return to action on Thursday evening with a Stamford Bridge clash against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Enzo Maresca’s men will begin the week fourth in the Premier League table and as they prepare to get stuck into a run-in that is set to feature an enthralling battle for the Champions League places.
Crucial to their hopes of landing a place back in Europe’s premier competition will be Cole Palmer, who missed Chelsea’s defeat to Arsenal last time out in the Premier League.
Will Cole Palmer be fit when Chelsea host Tottenham Hotspur?
While he has not quite hit the heights he did during the end of last season and beginning of the current campaign in recent weeks, Palmer – who was ranked at no.4 in FourFourTwo’s list of the planet’s best attacking midfielders last month – he remains a key player for the Blues, with his 14 goals this term easily topping the club’s goalscoring charts.
His last Premier League goal came in January, with the 22-year-old missing a penalty against Leicester City earlier this month after he had been struggling with illness.
He then missed Chelsea’s last Premier League match against Arsenal with a hamstring injury and withdrew from Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad.
Maresca indicated that this rest could benefit Palmer when he discussed this issue before the international break.
“We never wish for players to get injured but, in Cole’s case, in this moment it will give him some rest physically and mentally so it could be good,” he said. “He needs a scan and it is planned for Monday.”
And it would appear that this rest has done Palmer good, as he returned to training at Chelsea last week. Maresca will no doubt give a further update on the England star’s condition during his pre-match press conference this week.
Maresca may also be able to welcome striker Nicolas Jackson back to his line-up, after the Senegal forward returned to full-team training following his recent hamstring injury, while Noni Madueke is also back with the group following a hamstring problem of his own.
After hosting Spurs on Thursday evening, Chelsea face another London derby on Sunday when they make the short trip to Brentford.
