Knocked: Cole Palmer pulled up in the warm-up before last Friday’s win at West Ham
Chelsea Football Newsletter
Chelsea have been dealt a huge blow after Cole Palmer was ruled out for Saturday’s trip to Fulham due to a groin injury.
Blues boss Enzo Maresca was coy on the extent of the injury, but hinted it was not as severe as first feared.
Providing an update ahead of Saturday’s clash with Fulham, Maresca said: “Cole is out, Benoit (Badiashille) is out, Romeo (Lavia) is out. The rest are okay.
“Cole, we need to see day by day.
“Romeo and Benoit, I don't think they will be back after the international break but they will be closer.”
Palmer was also left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for upcoming international break, which means he will miss England’s World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia next month, a decision Maresca assisted in.
“I spoke with Thomas a few times. It's Thomas' decision. He's not available tomorrow so it is quite normal that he has shown he has some problems.”
Maresca is confident Chelsea will be able to cope without Palmer: “When Cole is not in the game, we need to find different solutions. Hopefully tomorrow we can do the same.”
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Palmer was named in the Chelsea starting line-up at West Ham last Friday but did not feature in the 5-1 win after pulling up in the pre-match warm-up.
Palmer was spotted holding his groin minutes before kick-off against West Ham and was quickly escorted to the dressing room, accompanied by a member of Chelsea backroom staff.
Maresca claimed before that game that Palmer’s withdrawal was a “precautionary” measure, but revealed after that Palmer had been struggling with the issue since before the season started and was dealing with problem in the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on the opening weekend.
Palmer was assessed by Chelsea medical staff after the 5-1 win over West Ham but did not train with the squad on Tuesday.