Leeds United face Chelsea at the start of December, but the Blues could be without star man Cole Palmer after a freak injury sustained at home.
United’s return to Premier League action sees them welcome Aston Villa to Elland Road. It kicks off a tough run of games right through to the January window for Daniel Farke.
Included in that run of games is a home double-header with Chelsea and Liverpool in the space of four days.
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Chelsea star Cole Palmer suffers stubbed toe injury at home ahead of Leeds United clash
The festive schedule is set to build up in the coming weeks, with Leeds’ meeting against the Blues one of six between December and New Year’s Day.
Enzo Maresca’s side are currently without seven players through various fitness issues. The latest is key man Cole Palmer, after a freak injury was revealed by the Blues boss.
Maresca revealed that Palmer has sustained a fractured toe after stubbing it on a door in his home.
“He is probably not available for tomorrow, for sure, Barcelona, for sure, Arsenal, for sure,” Maresca said, per Football.London.
“Unfortunately he had an accident at home with his toe. But it’s nothing important. For sure he is not back next week. It’s fractured. The only thing we know is he is not available for this week and next week.”
Cole Palmer hasn’t featured for Chelsea since September due to a groin injury. (Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra)
There’s no confirmation from Maresca that Palmer is either fit or unavailable for the trip to Elland Road on December 3rd. However, his definitive update on the three games for Chelsea prior to Leeds suggests he’s a major doubt for our game.
Palmer had previously been absent for two months due to a groin issue, which appears to have cleared up. But, with a prolonged stint on the sidelines, it’s unlikely that Palmer will be fully fit for the Leeds visit.
Leeds United would gain huge boost if Cole Palmer can’t feature for Chelsea
It goes without saying, but Chelsea not having their best attacker available for their game against us would be huge.
Leeds, and Farke as well, badly need home games to go our way. So, if Chelsea come up here with a depleted squad, they might be vulnerable.
We’ve already seen Sunderland shock them at home, and their ongoing juggling of a Champions League schedule and tough games themselves means they could be weaker when we play them.
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