Cole Palmer injury: Is Chelsea talisman fit to play in Champions League clash against Qarabag tonight?
A number of first-team Chelsea players have been ruled out of tonight’s Champions League game against Qarabag.
The Azerbaijani club are the darling underdogs of this season’s competition, winning their first two games and currently sitting in 15th - which would qualify them for the playoffs.
Tonight (Wednesday, November 5) they face their toughest challenge yet, hosting the Premier League giants at Baku Stadium.
Fortunately for the minnows, there are a few players who are either unlikely to feature for the Blues this evening, or have been ruled out entirely.
Manager Enzo Maresca has already confirmed that winger Pedro Neto will miss the European tie, and has given us an update on Cole Palmer’s condition too.
At a press conference about Neto’s injury, he said: “It’s not a problem, just a small issue. We will try to protect him. He is not involved in tomorrow’s game.
“Reece [James] is good, he is doing well; the way he has behaved every game is top. Even when he is not playing, the way he is with his team-mates in the dressing room.
“In the way we use Reece, we don’t use him up and down. It’s a big job to do that when we use full-backs in a different way. He is ready to play three games in a week.”
However, Cole Palmer will be out until after the upcoming international break, with no date in mind for the England international’s return from a groin problem.
“With Cole, we try to schedule the beginning, and then we need to review that,” said Maresca. “We go day-by-day with Cole.
“He is not taking any sessions with the team.”