Cole Palmer has been, unquestionably, the highlight of this Chelsea FC season. The former Manchester City man recently pulled even with his former linemate, Erling Haaland, in the race to win the Premier League scoring title. He likely won’t win that race, ultimately, but Palmer has provided a bright light for Chelsea, in what has no doubt been a very dark season.
He missed yesterday’s new low, the 5-0 beatdown at the hands of Arsenal, due to an unspecified illness.
Chelsea FC at Aston Villa FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Apr. 24, 8pm, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Chelsea Preview Material: Full Fitness/Injury Report Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Position, Form: Chelsea 9th, 47 pts, LWDWD Aston Villa 4th, 66 pts, WWDLW
Google Result Probability: Chelsea 32% Draw 26% Aston Villa 42%
Blues Team News
“Even if he is good [on Tuesday] maybe he is not in a condition to play,” manager Mauricio Pochettino said of the star forward’s status ahead of the blowout.
“We hope he can recover from this situation and be involved with the team.”
Cole Palmer is expected to be back for the weekend clash at Aston Villa.
Meanwhile Ben Chilwell (knee injury) is looking at a return sometime in May. This same month could also see the Blues welcome Robert Sanchez (undisclosed) and Levi Colwill (toe) back into the fold.
No one has any actual clue when Christopher Nkunku (hamstring), Reece James (hamstring) and Malo Gusto (knee ligament) will return. It is possible that that any or all of this triad could miss the rest of the season.
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 Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.