Cole Palmer OUT of Arsenal vs Chelsea as Enzo Maresca refuses to take risk
Chelsea face Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday but the Blues will be without star man Cole Palmer, as they search for a win to boost their Champions League hopes
by Nathan Ridley · The MirrorCole Palmer is NOT in the Chelsea squad to face Arsenal.
Palmer, 22, reportedly has a tight hamstring, having played the second half of the Blues' 1-0 win at home to Danish side Copenhagen in the Conference League round-of-16 on Thursday. The England star hasn't scored for 10 games, recently missing his first-ever penalty, but remains one of Chelsea's most crucial players under Enzo Maresca.
A win at the Emirates against their London rivals would see the Blues cement fourth place in the Premier League table, boosting their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season. But Maresca, who'll provide an update on Palmer shortly, has decided not to risk his star.
The Chelsea manager has, though, returned Robert Sanchez to the starting XI, with Filip Jorgensen having been in goal against Copenhagen. "Yes, it will be Robert playing against Arsenal," Maresca confirmed during his pre-match press conference.
"I've said many times we are happy with both goalkeepers. But sometimes, you have to be flexible. Since we started, the idea wasn't to change the goalkeeper but you have to be flexible; we do this with the game plan, the way we want to attack and defend, but we also have to be flexible with players [changing the personnel]."
Both Arsenal and Chelsea are without a natural striker, so Maresca's opposite number, Mikel Arteta, has also gone with a makeshift forward line. "It's quite strange for both of us because all of them are injured," Maresca commented.
"They are trying to find solutions and we are trying to find solutions. Pedro [Neto] since we started [using him in that role] is doing very well and we will see on Sunday if we use Pedro there or change something. We will see. As I said, all clubs during the season will have injuries so you need adapt, be flexible and find solutions."
Will Chelsea beat Arsenal? Give us your score prediction in the comments section.
Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Partey, Rice, Odegaard; Trossard, Merino, Martinelli
Subs: Neto, Tierney, White, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Calafiori, Butler-Oyedeji, Nwaneri
Chelsea XI: Sanchez; James, Fofana, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Sancho, Nkunku; Neto
Subs: Jorgensen, Bettinelli, Adarabioyo, Dewsbury-Hall, Chalobah, Gusto, George, Acheampong, Lavia
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