(Reuters) – Midfielder Cole Palmer and forward Jadon Sancho will both miss Chelsea’s Conference League home clash with Armenian side FC Noah on Thursday, manager Enzo Maresca said adding that he is hopeful the duo will play against Arsenal at the weekend.
Chelsea’s top scorer Palmer, who is not registered for the Conference League group stage, missed training after sustaining a knock from a challenge by Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez during Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
Reece James, who has recently returned from injury, might also be rested on Thursday. Maresca confirmed a fully fit squad of 25 players otherwise, noting he will rotate players to manage their workload.
“Cole didn’t train yesterday. We will see today if he is able to train with us,” Maresca told reporters on Wednesday.
Asked if it would be a risk to play the 22-year-old in the Premier League on Sunday, the Italian coach said: “Yeah, for sure. He didn’t train the last two days. We’ll see. The tackle was not a normal one. Hopefully he can be back.
“Jadon is also out tomorrow, with illness. He is recovering from that, but he also had a knock in a session. We will see if he can be available for Sunday’s game, otherwise it will be after the international break for him.”
Chelsea lead the European third-tier Conference League standings, having comfortably defeated Gent at home (4-2) and Panathinaikos away (4-1), while Noah have won one match and lost one.
Armenian club Noah, founded in 2017, are fourth in their domestic league having won seven of their 10 games. Chelsea are fourth in the Premier League standings, level on 18 points with Arsenal, who trail in fifth on goal difference.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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