Chelsea star Cole Palmer is facing a race against time to be fit to face Crystal Palace.
With a number of potential absences for the cross-capital clash, Chelsea may be without the likes of both Tosin Adarabioyo and Romeo Lavia, who have thigh injuries – while Enzo Fernandez may miss the game through illness.
But is the Blues man – ranked at no.3 in FourFourTwo's list of the best attacking midfielders in the world right now – fit enough to face the Eagles?
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Chelsea star Cole Palmer has a "good chance" of returning imminently
Liam Rosenior
Liam Rosenior says Palmer's making progress(Image credit: Getty Images)
It's been a stop-start campaign for Blues playmaker Palmer, who has played just 13 games in all competitions this season, including just the one in Europe.
The 23-year-old missed last week's League Cup defeat to rivals Arsenal before returning to convert a penalty in the 2-0 home win over Brentford – but after his absence in Chelsea's midweek win away against Pafos, manager Liam Rosenior has fielded questions over whether his talisman will be available for Premier League duty this weekend.
Chelsea forward Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer has played just once in the Champions League all season(Image credit: Getty Images)
“It was precautionary,” Rosenior said of his decision to leave Palmer out of the travelling squad to Cyprus.
“He felt something really minor in the game against Brentford. It was quite early on, so credit to him for playing through it.
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“I don’t want to risk any players at this stage... He’s got a really good chance to be involved and start the game on Sunday, and we will keep preparing him for that.”
Palmer started in the no.10 spot of Rosenior's 4-2-3-1 in last week's victory against Brentford and made it through the game to play 90 minutes, but with fixtures coming thick and fast, the West Londoners have a decision to make over managing the star's minutes.
Chelsea sit eighth in the Champions League ahead of a trip to Naples to face former manager Antonio Conte, knowing that their place in the last-16 of the competition could be determined by goal difference, with eight other teams level with them on 13 points.
Antonio Conte led Napoli to the 2024-25 Serie A title
Chelsea face Napoli next week(Image credit: Getty Images)
A Saturday evening kick-off with strugglers West Ham United at Stamford Bridge follows to round off January before the Blues look to overturn the League Cup first-leg loss to Arsenal the week after.
Chelsea face Palace this Sunday at 2.00pm, when Premier League action resumes.