Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Cole Palmer is ‘available’ for Chelsea in the 212th London Derby meeting against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Palmer has been absent from the Blues since September 20 due to a persistent groin problem. His comeback was further set back when he accidentally hit the little toe of his left foot against a door at home last Wednesday, keeping him out of Burnley and Barcelona matches and initially raising doubts about his participation against Mikel Arteta’s side.
Despite that setback, Chelsea have impressively recorded 12 wins from 15 games without Palmer this season. They go into battle against Arsenal on Sunday sitting in second place. They want to reduce the gap with the top players to three points.
Palmer, who has scored two goals in four Chelsea appearances in all competitions this season, trained this week wearing a specially adapted boot to accommodate his broken toe.
However, speaking against his press conference before the match in Cobham on Friday, Maresca confirmed the England international is back in contention against Arsenal.
He said: ‘He’s available for both [playing and starting].
“His teammates are happy, we’re happy, and most importantly, Cole is happy.”
Boost
While Maresca acknowledged the excitement over Palmer’s return, he hinted he would be cautious about his minutes.
He said: ‘He is, as you said, probably our best player. We are happy that he is back. Now we have to give him time to be 100% fit.
‘He has done fantastic in the past and he will undoubtedly do very well for this club in the future.’
Maresca received another boost on Friday after confirming Dario Essugo’s first appearance in first-team training in the summer since recovering from his thigh problem.
The Portuguese midfielder has been sidelined since undergoing surgery in September, with the Chelsea manager explaining that he had returned to work on the pitch.
Chelsea go into Sunday’s match against Arsenal knowing that there will be three consecutive away games, each separated by just three days. For that reason, it seems wise to manage Palmer’s involvement in the trips to Leeds United, Bournemouth and Atalanta.
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