Chelsea forward Cole Palmer is set to play a crucial role for the team as they face off against London rivals Arsenal in Sunday's Premier League game at Stamford Bridge. The 23-year-old England international has been sidelined due to an injury, fracturing his toe when he stubbed it on a door last week. However, according to Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, Palmer is now available to start.
Despite struggling with injuries this season, which has seen him feature only five times across all competitions, the forward has expressed his desire to play games and make sessions every day. His return does raise questions about who will start alongside new signing Estevao Willian, with several players vying for a spot in the front four.
Maresca believes that Palmer is Chelsea's best player and their fans are excited about the prospect of him playing together with Willian. However, he also acknowledged that there needs to be a balance between the team's squad depth and giving players time to recover from injuries.
Palmer last featured for Chelsea in a 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on September 20th, since then they have played 13 games across all competitions, winning 10, losing two and drawing one. He has previously shown his goal-scoring ability, topping Chelsea's scoring charts in each of the past two Premier League campaigns.
Despite being fit to play, Palmer may face competition for a starting spot, with Estevao Willian in impressive form and other players continuing to improve. Maresca must now weigh up whether to stick with Palmer and give him a chance alongside Willian or leave them both on the bench in favour of Pedro, Garnacho, Fernandez and Neto.
Chelsea's top-of-the-table match against Arsenal could be an exciting one for fans, and Palmer's return does add an extra layer of intrigue to the game.
Despite struggling with injuries this season, which has seen him feature only five times across all competitions, the forward has expressed his desire to play games and make sessions every day. His return does raise questions about who will start alongside new signing Estevao Willian, with several players vying for a spot in the front four.
Maresca believes that Palmer is Chelsea's best player and their fans are excited about the prospect of him playing together with Willian. However, he also acknowledged that there needs to be a balance between the team's squad depth and giving players time to recover from injuries.
Palmer last featured for Chelsea in a 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on September 20th, since then they have played 13 games across all competitions, winning 10, losing two and drawing one. He has previously shown his goal-scoring ability, topping Chelsea's scoring charts in each of the past two Premier League campaigns.
Despite being fit to play, Palmer may face competition for a starting spot, with Estevao Willian in impressive form and other players continuing to improve. Maresca must now weigh up whether to stick with Palmer and give him a chance alongside Willian or leave them both on the bench in favour of Pedro, Garnacho, Fernandez and Neto.
Chelsea's top-of-the-table match against Arsenal could be an exciting one for fans, and Palmer's return does add an extra layer of intrigue to the game.
I'm hyped about Cole Palmer's comeback! He's been on the injury list for a while, but it looks like he's finally ready to get back out there 
. With Estevao Willian making waves in his debut, it's gonna be tough for Maresca to decide who gets to play alongside him 
. I mean, Palmer is Chelsea's best player and all, but you gotta give credit to the team that brought him back from injury - they're on a roll! 
10 wins out of 13 games? That's insane! The match against Arsenal is gonna be lit 
. Who do you guys think will come out on top?
! He's been injured for ages and it's been super frustrating not seeing him play with his pace and skill on the pitch 
. But now that he's back, Estevao Willian is definitely giving him a run for his money 
️. I love how Maresca says Palmer is Chelsea's best player though, because let's be real, he does have some serious goalscoring potential 
!
Chelsea vs Arsenal at Stamford Bridge always has so much energy, especially with Cole Palmer back from injury 
He's been waiting for his chance to shine and I think he'll definitely make an impact alongside Estevao Willian 
So many options! And let's be real, Palmer's goal-scoring skills are insane 
. He's been out for ages and his absence has definitely felt, but I'm loving how upbeat he seems now that he's back in the mix 
. Maresca trusting him to start is massive, I think it'll be interesting to see how they work together though... with Willian bringing his own style to the game, you know there'll be some great moments 
. One thing for sure is that Palmer's gotta put up a fight for his spot in the starting lineup, he can't just waltz back in and expect to start every game 
... but Palmer's got that fire in his belly, I'm loving it 
. The manager needs to tread carefully and not overexert him, or we might see another injury set back 
. On the other hand, it'll be awesome to see these two talented players play together and create some magic for the fans 
. now that he's back, it'll be fun to see him play with Estevao Willian, they have such good chemistry 
. Palmer has been looking fierce in the past two seasons, he's like a goal-scoring machine 
️! but with Willian doing well too, it might be tough for him to get his spot back 
. Will they go with their 'squad' players or mix things up with some of their other talented forwards? Either way, it should be a great match for Chelsea fans!
... and what about Willian, he's on fire right now! Should they start him or trust Palmer to do his thing? 
Fracturing his toe from stubbing it on a door? Sounds like something my granddad used to do when he was playing footy back in the day 
. Anyways, Maresca seems to think Palmer is their best player, but Estevao Willian's been looking sharp and now we got these other young guns vying for spots... it's gonna be a tough decision for him 
. Should be an interesting game against Arsenal on Sunday