Chelsea FC v F.C. Copenhagen - UEFA Conference League 2024/25 Round of 16 Second Leg
Cole Palmer is hoping to return for Chelsea (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea look set to receive a triple injury boost as Enzo Maresca’s side prepare to face London rivals Tottenham in the Premier League on Thursday.
The Blues fell to a 1-0 defeat against Arsenal prior to the international break to leave them just one point above Manchester City in fifth place.
Maresca’s side are now firmly in a battle to hold on to a top-four finish, but have been dealt some positive news with Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson all returning to first-team training over the break.
Palmer missed the defeat to Arsenal after picking up a muscle injury and was unable to feature in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad.
However, the talismanic midfielder has now been given the all-clear after two scans and will likely be welcomed straight back into the starting XI as Chelsea look to rediscover their attacking impetus.
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Madueke, meanwhile, has missed Chelsea’s last six games since suffering a hamstring injury but will also be in line to start on the weekend.
Jackson has been the longest attacking absentee from Maresca’s side having not featured since the start of February against West Ham.
Chelsea FC Training Session
Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer returned to Chelsea training last week (Picture: Getty)
Despite his hit-and-miss first half of the season, the Blues have sorely missed the Senegalese striker’s presence at the top of the pitch but could throw him straight back into the starting lineup despite his lengthy layoff.
Elsewhere, Chelsea have a largely clean bill of health, although Marc Guiu and Omari Kellyman remain sidelined with their respective longer-term injuries.
Chelsea 4-2-3-1 lineup
How Chelsea could line up (Picture: Metro)
Moises Caicedo remains one yellow card away from a two-match suspension, but the Ecuadorian is still likely to partner Enzo Fernandez in the middle of the park.
Reece James could slot straight back in at right-back after his impressive showing for England during the international break, while Robert Sanchez is expected to continue in goal despite his mixed performances this season.
Have Chelsea overworked Cole Palmer this season?
I wouldn’t suggest he has been overworked. We see players of Cole Palmer’s age or older, who have variations in form.
That comes with different management styles, or maybe its natural evolution as they try to keep at peak performance because that is so challenging.
I wouldn’t suggest it has anything to do with being overworked – performance is an extremely complex topic and you would need a lot of information over his physical and emotional state, his tactical and technical capabilities, the workload they are getting through, what their recovery process looks like.
You would want to understand all those pieces before jumping in and diagnosing why a player is unperforming or playing a certain way.
Stephen Smith, Kitman Labs Founder and CEO, was speaking exclusively to Metro.
Kitman Labs is the world’s leading performance intelligence and technology company, specialising in injury welfare and performance analytics working with the Premier League.
Tottenham, meanwhile, will be hoping to welcome back Dejan Kulusevski and Kevin Danso, while Lucas Bergvall is expected to have recovered from an illness that saw him play no part in Sweden’s international break.
Predicted Chelsea XI to face Tottenham
Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson.
Predicted Tottenham XI to face Chelsea
Vicario; Spence, Van de Ven, Romero, Udogie; Bentancur, Bergvall, Sarr; Tel, Solanke, Son.
Where to watch Chelsea vs Tottenham? Kick-off time and TV channel
Chelsea vs Tottenham kicks off at 8pm on Tuesday 1 April.
The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League with coverage starting at 7pm. Viewers can also tune into the action online via Now TV or the Sky Go app.
You can also follow all the action with Metro’s LIVE matchday blog.
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