Cole Palmer has been omitted from Liam Rosenior's Chelsea squad which will face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon, with Liam Rosenior explaining the England international's absence
Bobby Vincent Senior Chelsea writer and Aaron Morris Senior Sports Reporter
13:11, 25 Jan 2026Updated 13:39, 25 Jan 2026
Cole Palmer reacts
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Cole Palmer was not announced in Chelsea's squad to take on Crystal Palace(Image: Offside via Getty Images)
Cole Palmer will not take to the pitch for Chelsea against Crystal Palace on Sunday as a result of a minor thigh injury.
The Blues announced their team news at 12.45pm on Sunday, an hour and a quarter ahead of their 2pm kick-off with the Eagles at Selhurst Park. However, one name which was notably missing from the line-up was Palmer's.
Instead of deploying his starboy, Liam Rosenior has opted to play a midfield three of Andrey Santos, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, and a forward line of Estevao, Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro. While many fans flocked to social media to enquire about Palmer's omission, it has now been explained that Palmer is continuing to recover from a knock to his thigh.
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Football.London reporter, Bobby Vincent, explained: "Cole Palmer missing for #CFC today with minor thigh injury. Trained last two days and hope is he will be fit for trip to Naples."
Elsewhere, speaking to Sky Sports ahead of kick-off, Rosenior said of Palmer: "Unfortunately for us, Cole's not quite right for this one. I've said before in press conferences, we want to make sure every player is at 100 per cent.
"There's no use risking players in January for what we want to achieve. He's got a little niggle in his thigh, he's not quite 100 per cent but he's got a chance for Wednesday. Hopefully he's back for then."
It comes as the second match in a row that Palmer has been missing from, also failing to so much as make the bench for the Blues' midweek 1-0 win over Pafos on home turf. Rosenior explained that his absence from that match was also owing to "tightness" in his thigh, although the manager also noted that he expected him to be available soon.
It now appears as though Sunday's clash with Palace has come a little too soon for the Englishman to feature. The 23-year-old has been in and out of the squad this season as a result of various injuries, making just 12 Premier League appearances thus far.
Liam Rosenior looks on
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Liam Rosenior will be without Cole Palmer against Crystal Palace(Image: Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Palmer dealt with groin issues as the fresh campaign got underway, before a broken toe in November kept him sidelined for a little longer. It comes as reports surfaced earlier this week that Palmer was linked to a shock move to Manchester United, as a result of being unsettled in the English capital.
The attacking-midfielder grew up in Wythenshawe, and was described as being homesick in the Big Smoke. However, Rosenior was quick to quash any rumours of unhappiness on Palmer's part earlier this week.
Speaking to the media, he said: "I've had numerous conversations with Cole and he seems, and is, very, very happy to be here. He is a huge part of our long‑term plans, he's an outstanding player.
"Every player goes through difficult moments in their career with injuries, but that is no indication of his quality."
Following Sunday's short trip to Selhurst Park, Chelsea will hope to secure automatic qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League when they face Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Wednesday evening.
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At the time of writing, the west London outfit sit eighth in the European league's standings with four wins, one draw and two losses. However, with Barcelona, Sporting CP, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Atalanta breathing down their neck on goal difference, a convincing victory may be needed to ensure Chelsea finish in the top eight.
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