Chelsea has one more push before the second international break of the season. The Blues will play three games in the next eight days (as of Friday), with a Champions League match wedged between two Premier League fixtures.
Brighton will play first at Stamford Bridge, followed by two more home games against Benfica and Liverpool. Once these three games are completed, Chelsea will have completed a 22-day period in which they played seven matches – and now that we have passed the halfway mark, squad rotation is critical.
Enzo Maresca’s squad is full of fitness problems Cole Palmer left Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Manchester United last Saturday after 20 minutes due to a groin issue he had been suffering with for the past month. According To Football London.
The 23-year-old underwent a late fitness test on the day of the game at Old Trafford and informed Chelsea staff that he was fine to play. Palmer’s success was short-lived, and Chelsea will undoubtedly be wary of putting him in similar situations again.
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We anticipate to hear more about Palmer from Maresca during Friday’s pre-Brighton press conference, but even if he is able to play, Chelsea may err on the side of caution with their top attacking player.
Palmer’s replacement is hard. Nobody can truly replace a player of that level, but Maresca will give it his all if he is unable to face the Seagulls on Saturday afternoon.
Unfortunately, loanee Facundo Buonanotte is ineligible because the match is against his parent club. This would have been an excellent encounter for the 20-year-old Argentine, who scored his first goal for the Blues in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup third round win over Lincoln City.
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