Chelsea FC v Leicester City FC - Premier League
Chelsea were without Cole Palmer against Arsenal (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea will be without England star Cole Palmer for their Premier League clash against Arsenal on Sunday.
Palmer has endured a frustrating period following another impressive start to the season, failing to score in his last 10 appearances.
During that run Palmer missed his first-ever penalty against Leicester City, with Enzo Maresca revealing after the match that he asked to play despite struggling with illness in the days before.
Palmer came off the bench to help Chelsea beat Copenhagen in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night but was absent from the Blues’ squad on Sunday.
It was reported a few hours the game that Palmer could miss the London derby due to fatigue and a tight hamstring but Maresca will provide an update shortly.
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Chelsea travel to north London hoping to boost their Champions League hopes after top-four rivals Manchester City dropped points at home to Brighton earlier in the weekend.
Maresca’s side briefly threatened to mount a title challenge earlier in the season but their aspirations have now turned to Champions League qualification following a poor run since Christmas.
Arsenal, meanwhile, will aim to record their first league win in four games, having seen their title hopes all but ended in recent weeks.
Revealing his prediction for the London derby, ex-Premier League striker Chris Sutton told BBC Sport: ‘There won’t be many goals in this game – one goal might be enough to win it, and I am going with Arsenal to get it.
‘Declan Rice was very lively in his new attacking role against Manchester United and I can see him scoring again here.
‘Chelsea have flattered to deceive in recent weeks. They have won their past two league games, but they were against Southampton and Leicester. This is a much bigger test.’
More to follow…
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