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Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke drop early Chelsea team news hint as Enzo Maresca plan clear

Cole Palmer of Chelsea interacts with fans as he arrives at the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Manchester City FC at Stamford Bridge on August 18, 2024
-Credit: (Image: Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)


Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke have dropped an early team news hint ahead of Chelsea's clash against Bournemouth. Andoni Iraola will welcome the west Londoners to the Vitality Stadium on Saturday evening as both sides look to climb the Premier League table.

Before the international break, Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge after Eberechi Eze found an equaliser against the run of play. The Blues took another step in the right direction, dominating possession and creating numerous chances.

But unfortunately for Enzo Maresca, Chelsea rued their missed opportunities and settled for a point. Nevertheless, Palmer and Madueke have posted pre-match graphic previews of the Cherries fixture to their respective Instagram stories.

Historically, this suggests that the duo will be involved in some capacity. Robert Sanchez, Benoit Badiashile, Moises Caicedo and Christopher Nkunku have done the same, hinting that they too will feature on the south coast.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Bournemouth clash, Maresca reflected on the Blues' start to the season. The Italian said: "I used the international break to review the games and these kind of things.

"I think the three Premier League games that we played, it's true we conceded goals but it's also true that we conceded the first shot on goal against Palace and that was the goal. Against City we did not concede many chances and that is very strange to not concede chances against City.

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"Wolves, in the second half, we don't concede any shots. So I think we are in the right direction and this is the most important thing and the thing I can control."

Then, when asked to expand on his methods at Cobham, Maresca added: "For instance, we used this international break to try something new for the future that we can probably use.

"We also did some defensive work to find the balance. That doesn't mean we are not defending well because in my personal opinion, the first game against City we did not concede too much.

"The second game apart from the last 20 minutes in the first-half we did not concede anything and the last game against Palace it was clear we deserved to win the game. I try to focus on these things. The main target is to improve players. Improving players, you are probably going to improve the team."

With that being said, Maresca will be relying on the likes of Palmer and Madueke to step up and fire Chelsea to victory. While several players have posted pre-match previews of the Bournemouth game to their Instagram stories, it does not necessarily mean they will definitely start.