We’re already at the point of previewing the final weekend of league play before the September international break. Yes, the new season is still very young, but at the same time, it’s just flying by. Chelsea host Fulham in the local derby on Saturday, and they’ll do so with four injury concerns: Cole Palmer, Benoit Badiashile, Romeo Lavia and Levi Colwill.
Let’s break ’em all down for you, right here, right now, starting with Palmer.
Fulham Road Derby FYIs
Chelsea vs Fulham FC
Kickoff: Sat. Aug 30 12:30pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Chelsea Preview Material: Team News Starting Lineup Prediction
Premier League Form, Standing: Chelsea DW, 4th, 4 pts, +4 GD Fulham DD, 13th, 2 pts, 0 GD
Blues Team News
The Chelsea talisman withdrew from the starting lineup on Friday night (a 5-1 thrashing of West Ham United), after feeling discomfort in his groin. Apparently, he’s been dealing with a knock of some sort, for awhile, and just playing through the pain.
“Cole, in the last four or five days, was not 100%,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said.
“Today, he tried to warm up, but he felt something. So, we prefer not to take any risk to get worse, and we’ll see now in the next hours if it’s something important or not.
“Probably (for the) Palace game he was not 100%. But he is trying to make a big effort for the club, for the team, for the fans. Because he is really keen about the team. Tonight, again, he tried again. But it was not very good.”
You can put Palmer in the “touch-and-go” category. Moving on to Lavia, we’re sorry but we have no real update here. The former Southampton midfielder remains sidelined, and the club continue being secretive in regards to his situation. All Maresca has said recently, regarding Lavia is “he’s out.”
We’ll take a look at this again, after the international break. Shifting gears to Badiashile (unspecified knock), he should be in contention for the first match after the internationals, which is yet another London derby, a trip to Brentford on September 13.
And then finally, Colwill is out for most, if not the entire year, due to an ACL injury.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter