Cole Palmer drops early Chelsea team news hint as Enzo Maresca makes bold Liverpool decision
Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez have dropped an early team news hint ahead of Chelsea's clash against Liverpool. The Reds will lock horns with the West Londoners at Anfield on Sunday afternoon as either side look to extend their unbeaten runs.
Chelsea, who remain unbeaten in the Premier League since losing to Manchester City on the opening weekend of the season, were held to a 1-1 draw by Nottingham Forest just before the international break. As for Liverpool, whose last defeat came against Nuno Espirito Santo's side last month, they enjoyed a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.
While the Merseyside outfit may have a spring in their step, Chelsea have made great progress under Enzo Maresca. Nevertheless, Palmer and Fernandez have posted pre-match graphic previews of the Liverpool fixture to their respective Instagram stories.
Historically, this suggests that the duo will be involved in some capacity. Benoit Badiashile, Robert Sanchez, Noni Madueke and Moises Caicedo have also done the same, hinting that they too will start against Arne Slot's side.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the heavyweight clash, Maresca confirmed that Reece James will be available for selection. The Italian said: "He is finally available. He worked with us over the international break. It's good news, especially for him because being injured is not a good feeling. Finally, he is back."
Maresca added: "It's complicated when you get injury, injury, injury again. It's not easy so you are always looking for a solution. Probably the solution with Reece is the same solution we are using with Romeo [Lavia] and Wes [Fofana] in terms of using them just once a week, in one game, because probably in this moment, for different reasons, Reece's body cannot play twice a week. One of the solutions is probably to try and manage him in the same way we are doing with Wes and Romeo."
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Then, on using the Liverpool clash to gauge the Blues' progress, Maresca said: "We are going to approach the game not thinking where we are, we are going to approach trying to prepare the game in the best way.
"But it's not this game that is going to define where we are. If we win, then we solve the problem, if we lose, then it's just a process, just a game. We will try our best to prepare for the game."
With that being said, Maresca will be relying on the likes of Palmer and Fernandez to step up and fire Chelsea to victory. While a few players have posted pre-match previews of the Liverpool game to their Instagram stories, it does not necessarily mean they will definitely start or, at the very least, play.