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Marco Palestra Injury Status for Chelsea vs Leeds

Chelsea Confirmed Lineup - Marco Palestra

A defeat to Arsenal had both positives and negatives to take away from it, but one of the big issues was the clear lack of players who can fulfill the manager’s vision. With a midweek trip to Leeds United in the EFL Cup providing another chance for Xabi Alonso to set his team up, he will once again have to do so without some talent available. The coach was speaking to the media before this one, and had updates to offer on a few names, including wing-back Marco Palestra.

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What Xabi Alonso Had to Say

When asked specifically about Palestra and Moises Caciedo, the manager confirmed that both would be sidelined for this one. He later confirmed that Jordan Henderson and Emmanuel Emegha are also out. With the earlier two, it was noted that they’re being assessed on a match to match basis with the team not wanting to risk either of them.

There was no timeline given from the manager, just that this cup tie is coming too early. While the Ecuadorian was risked for a few minutes against Brighton & Hove Albion, his Italian counterpart has disappeared after playing regular minutes in pre-season.

The Last Word

The mystery around both injuries and those to Henderson and Emegha is becoming slightly worrisome to fans. Caicedo and Palestra are important to how the manager wants to set up, with their absence taking away some of the key ideas of Alonso’s tactics, in particular the pace and physicality that the wing-back adds to their attacking ideas.

Leeds are a difficult team to play, they’re a physical 3-5-2 that will push a rotated Blues lineup to the limit. The alternative is the manager risking some of his better players for another 90 and instead rotating against Hull City who have started the season with seven points from nine in the Premier League.