Cole Palmer injury latest with training hint and Enzo Maresca update before Leicester

Chelsea return to Premier League action this weekend, but head coach Enzo Maresca has an injury concern over key man Cole Palmer.

The Blues travel to take on Leicester City in Saturday’s early kick-off. The game will see Maresca and midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall return to their former club for the first time since leaving in the summer.

Chelsea go into the match off the back of two 1-1 draws in the Premier League. First, against Manchester United, and then against Arsenal before the international break.

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Maresca’s side currently sit in third place in the Premier League table. Palmer has again been a key part of that, with the midfielder scoring seven times and providing five assists in his 11 appearances so far.

It means that there is an anxious wait over his potential availability at the King Power Stadium. With that in mind, here is the latest on his injury and if he will be fit for the Leicester clash.

International withdrawal

The nervous wait over Palmer’s fitness came after he withdrew from the England squad for the Nations League fixtures against Greece and Ireland. Despite playing the full 90 minutes against Arsenal, the Chelsea man withdrew due to a knee injury he suffered in the draw against Manchester United in the previous match.

Training boost

While there were no pictures of Palmer in training earlier in the week were released by the club, there was a picture of his boots on the grass along with two ‘cold’ emojis. It therefore indicates that he has at least taken part in some outside training ahead of the game at the King Power Stadium.

What Maresca has said

While not specifically mentioning Palmer in his pre-match press conference on Thursday, Maresca did provide a general update on those players fighting to be fit for the weekend. "Some of them are better, some of them we will test today but overall, for sure, they are much better,” he said. The fact that Palamer has been spotted in training ahead of the game is a good sign that he may be in the group who are ‘better’.