Heading into the second leg of their UEFA Conference League round of 16 tie with FC Copenhagen, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has a slight, but new fitness concern in the talismanic Cole Palmer. He also provided an update on the status of Nicolas Jackson, so there could be some selection issues in the final third, although it sounds like overall Cole Palmer should be fine to feature on Thursday night.
Conference League Rd. of 16 Leg 2/2
Chelsea vs FC Copenhagen
Aggregate: Chelsea leads 2-1
Kickoff: Thurs. Mar. 13, 8pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Chelsea Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Blues Team News
“During the night, he didn’t feel well, and he didn’t train yesterday,” Maresca said of Palmer.
“But this morning, he woke up and asked me to be on the pitch because he wants to help this club play in the UCL. It shows these players want to bring the club [back] to where [it] belongs.”
Sounds like Palmer should be able to shake off the illness that’s bugging him, and play through his ailment. As for Jackson, he’s making a lot of progress now.
“Nico has started to do some running outside which is good, but I don’t think there is any change with his status,” Maresca said.
“We are still looking at after the international break for him.”
You can expect an Apr 2 return for him. Meanwhile Reece James is a doubt for the UECL clash as he’s battling a fever.
Elsewhere Malo Gusto should be okay while Noni Madueke, Marc Guiu and Omari Kellyman remain out due to injury. Mykhailo Mudryk remains suspended.
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.”
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