Chelsea have confirmed that English attacker Cole Palmer is ill and is a doubt for the game against Arsenal on Tuesday.
The Blues travel to Emirates Stadium tomorrow to face the Premier League leaders in the London derby and will be eager to bounce back from the disappointment of last weekend.
Chelsea lost the semi-final of the FA Cup to Manchester City and will be desperate to hand Arsenal a defeat on Tuesday, but their chances of doing so have suffered a huge blow.
🗣️ Mauricio Pochettino on whether Palmer will play against Arsenal: “We will see tomorrow. We need to assess tomorrow morning. Today, no. I don’t think he can be involved, and even if he is good tomorrow he may not be able to play.” https://t.co/q7ByTRsDZP— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) April 22, 2024
They are expected to be without Palmer, who has bagged 20 league goals and nine assists in 27 games, which comes as a boost for the Gunners.
Arsenal returned to winning ways following heartbreaking defeats to Aston Villa and Bayern Munich with a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, and they know they cannot afford to drop further points if they want to win the title this season.
Palmer has unarguably been the best player at Chelsea this season, and his absence in the attacking third against Arsenal will most likely see the visitors struggle tomorrow.