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COLE PALMER PUSHES RECOVERY RACE TO FEATURE IN MASSIVE MATCH

Chelsea are hopeful Cole Palmer can return from his groin injury in time for the Champions League clash against Barcelona on November 25th. The club is managing his recovery day by day and does not want to rush the important attacker back.

Cole Palmer Pushes Recovery Race to Feature in Massive Match
Palmer Return Race On - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Cole Palmer is expected to be available for Chelsea's crucial Champions League matchup with Barcelona. The Blues are hoping Palmer can eventually return before the end of the month, despite his injury dating back to September.

On November 25, Enzo Maresca's team, which has performed admirably without Palmer, will host Hansi Flick's team at Stamford Bridge.

Palmer, a former Man City player, would also want to participate in such a historic matchup, the Mail claims. However, the source also asserts that Chelsea does not want to risk further harm by rushing the attacker's return since he is too crucial to their season as a whole.

Due to a recurring groin ailment that plagued him throughout the season's early exchanges, Palmer has missed Chelsea's last 11 games across all competitions. The England international has not returned to the field since hobbling off early in his team's September 20 loss to Manchester United.

Speaking last week before Chelsea's Champions League trip to Azerbaijan, Maresca expressed his optimism that Palmer would be healthy enough to play some against the Catalan powerhouses this month. "With Cole, we try to plan, we try to schedule, you know, before the beginning," he stated. "We hope so [he will be ready vs. Barca]." After that, we must review that.

"So, right now, Cole and I go day by day. He is not participating in any team sessions. Additionally, Benoit Badiashile is likely to be available following the international break, which is really exciting for us.

"To be really honest, I want Cole could be here tomorrow. Cole should arrive early, please. I have repeatedly stated that Cole makes us a stronger squad. He is injured and out of commission, which is unfortunate for us, but we really want him back soon."

Speaking to football.london about the injury's complexity, Maresca stated: "We need to safeguard Cole for sure, 100%." Not just Cole, in my opinion, since we never stop or because of the Club World Cup, as I spoke earlier.

"I am not sure what the answer is for Cole. We now meet with the medical team to determine the best course of action for him. However, there is also a type of injury that is not binary.

"It is not an injury that will go away one day. It is not like you are just playing and will vanish tomorrow. You can be worse at times and better at others. We must therefore manage day by day.

Palmer is crucial to Chelsea, but since his injury, Maresca's team has only lost twice, winning handily against Tottenham and Liverpool.

With just six points separating them and league leaders Arsenal, players like Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho, and Joao Pedro have all played admirably in his absence, helping the Blues climb into third place and early title contention.

WHY WAS COLE PALMER SUBBED? THE REAL REASON BEHIND THE STAMFORD BRIDGE BOOS

Fans booed as Cole Palmer was subbed in Chelsea's draw with Bournemouth. Learn why Maresca was absent and what’s next for the Blues.

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Managing Cole Palmer’s return

After Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth, assistant coach Willy Caballero defended the choice to sub off Cole Palmer, even though fans at Stamford Bridge were angry about Enzo Maresca's move.

Fans booed, yelling, You don't know what you're doing! when Palmer—who'd been one of the team's better players—was taken out in the 63rd minute. The home team was trying to score and break their bad Premier League streak at the time.

Chelsea has only won one of their last seven league games. Caballero said afterward that head coach Enzo Maresca, who wasn't there for the post-game interviews due to illness, is still a role model for everyone at the club.

Still, the pressure is on the coach after yet another result slipped away. Chelsea has now lost 13 points at home from winning positions.

The mood got especially sour when Palmer, who just came back from an injury, was taken off in the second half.

Every fan wants the best players on the field, Caballero said. We do, too. But Cole is coming back from a long injury. So we have to figure out the best substitutions to win the game while also keeping our players healthy. We need them for the entire season.

Caballero said about Maresca's absence, "He hasn't been feeling well for the past two days." He had a fever two days ago. He did the last two practices because he wanted to get the team ready. But after the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in because he wasn't feeling well.

He's handling it well and is very professional. He puts in a lot of hours every day, even when he wasn't feeling well the last two days. He loves to train and coach. He's a role model for me and the rest of the staff.

Bournemouth took the lead after six minutes when David Brooks scored on his second try after Robert Sanchez made a save. Then, Palmer scored a penalty to tie the game for Chelsea.

Next, Enzo Fernandez put the home team ahead, but the Blues couldn't hold on to their lead again. Justin Kluivert tied the score before halftime after Chelsea failed to handle a long throw-in from Antoine Semenyo.

There's been a lot of talk that this would be Semenyo's last game for Bournemouth before he moves to Manchester City soon. Before leaving the field, he seemed to say goodbye to the fans who had traveled to see the game.

Still, head coach Andoni Iraola was sure he'd play against Arsenal on Saturday.

It's not his last game here with us, he said. I can't say for sure, but I think he'll play.

He needs to rest. We've played two tough games in three days. We have Arsenal at home, so we're getting ready for another one, a tough game against the leaders. He's going to be important for us.

BREAKING: ENZO MARESCA SKIPS MEDIA AS CHELSEA CRISIS DEEPENS! GET THE HEALTH UPDATE

Enzo Maresca missed the post-match media due to a fever after Chelsea's 2-2 draw. Willy Caballero provides an urgent update on his health.

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Chelsea's winless run continues as Maresca falls ill

Enzo Maresca skipped media interviews after Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth because he was sick.

The Blues coach was supposed to chat after his team snagged a point against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

But right before he was about to talk about the game, news dropped that Maresca wasn't feeling good.

So, his assistant, Willy Caballero, stepped in to handle things in west London.

Caballero shared an update on Maresca: He's been under the weather for a couple of days, Caballero said. He had a fever two days ago.

After the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in for him since he wasn't feeling well.

Caballero was asked if he'd be in charge against Manchester City on Sunday, like he was against Villa during Maresca's suspension.

"I'm not sure," he said. I just want Enzo to get better. I think he'll be fine in a day or two.

The draw with Bournemouth means Chelsea has only won one of their last seven Premier League games.

Fans were clearly annoyed during the second half when Cole Palmer was subbed out for Joao Pedro.

Palmer just got back to playing regularly after a groin injury, but some Chelsea fans wondered why he was taken out.

About the boos, Caballero said, "Of course, every fan wants their best players on the field, and so do we."

But Cole is coming off a long injury, so we have to figure out the right subs for the game and also look out for our players since we didn't have him for a while.

Chelsea and Bournemouth had a boring 0-0 draw in their previous match earlier in the month.

But the game at Stamford Bridge was totally different, with Bournemouth taking the lead early on through David Brooks.

Palmer leveled the score with a penalty, and then Enzo Fernandez blasted a shot into the top corner to put Chelsea ahead.

But Chelsea failed to defend a long throw for the second time, allowing Justin Kluivert to score for Bournemouth.

After playing City, Chelsea will face their west London rivals Fulham before an FA Cup game away against Charlton Athletic.

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