Chelsea will be without Cole Palmer for their west London derby with Fulham this afternoon.
Palmer pulled out of the Blues starting XI shortly before kick-off last Friday against West Ham United with a groin problem. It didn’t distract the Blues too much, after falling behind to Lucas Pacqueta’s early strike, they put five past the Hammers to pick up their first win of the season.
Palmer did not train with the rest of the Chelsea squad this wee and was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Enzo Maresca confirmed on Friday his star man is not available as he continues his recovery from a groin problem.
Estevao Willian stepped into the starting XI in Palmer’s absence and sparkled in east London, providing an assist in the 5-1 victory with his countryman Joao Pedro on the score sheet again.
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His tally now stands at four goals and two assists in five competitive matches since his arriving from Brighton.
Palmer’s absence prompted a reshuffle with Joao Pedro starting deeper with Liam Delap leading the line before he was replaced on the hour.
Maresca will be tempted to stick with the same side that trampled all over West Ham.
Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia remain out injured along with Levi Colwill who is expected to miss the majority of the season after his anterior cruciate ligament injury.
They have an otherwise clean bill of health ahead of the weekend.
Chelsea XI to face Fulham – Metro prediction
With no Palmer, we could be looking at the same team that eased past West Ham.
Estevao Willian has surely done enough to keep his place in the side ahead of Jamie Gittens but there could be a dilemma at centre-half with Wesley Fofana available having come off the bench in east London.
Chelsea vs Fulham TV channel and kick-off time
Chelsea vs Fulham takes place on Saturday 30 August with kick-off scheduled for 12:30pm.
You can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1 with streaming also available through the Discovery+ app
