Palmer isn’t the only name on Chelsea’s injury list. Pedro Neto, who has been a bright spark so far this season, is also set to miss the midweek trip to Azerbaijan with what Maresca described as a "small issue", suggesting he could be available for the Wolves game at Stamford Bridge on November 8. "Yeah, not a problem, just a small issue. So we try to protect him. He's not involved in tomorrow's game," the manager said.
Meanwhile, Romeo Lavia's long road back to full fitness appears to be reaching its conclusion. The young midfielder, who joined from Southampton in 2023, has endured a torrid run of injuries, making just 29 appearances in two years due to recurring muscle issues. Maresca, however, is refusing to rush the 21-year-old and compared his situation to Reece James's gradual comeback from long-term injury.
The Chelsea boss revealed that he has already outlined a careful reintegration plan and said: "The main target for Romeo now is to be fit. Don't get any injuries. For me, at this moment, Romeo is where Reece was more or less one year ago in terms of back after a long time. We need to manage him every minute, every day, every second. And the target with him is just to keep him fit. So, he's training with us. He's OK. He's 100% fit. But we need to be very careful with him because we don't want him to be out again and finally he can enjoy being a football player.
"In the Forest game, we planned for him 45 minutes. Then Ajax, I think he played one hour, 70 minutes. The other day against Tottenham, when he was on, he was very good. We are happy with Romeo. We are happy with the way he's progressing. And the only thing we want is to keep him fit. So, I would like to have Romeo inside the pitch always. But it's my duty to try to protect also him."