Chelsea eye Cole Palmer injury return date with England star desperate to play huge match - The Mirror

Cole Palmer has made just four appearances in all competitions this season – but Enzo Maresca is hopeful that the England international could return this month

Chelsea are hoping Cole Palmer will be available for their mammoth Champions League tie against Barcelona. Palmer has been injured since September, but the Blues are hoping he can finally make his return before the end of the month.

Enzo Maresca's side, who have coped impressively in Palmer's absence, welcome Hansi Flick’s side to Stamford Bridge on November 25.

And, according to the Mail, former Man City man Palmer would love to play in such a historic showdown. Although the report also claims that Chelsea do not want to rush the attacker back at the risk of doing further damage, as he is too important to their overall season.

Palmer has missed Chelsea's last 11 games in all competitions due to a persistent groin injury that had been troubling him throughout the early exchanges of the season. The England international limped off early in his side's defeat at Manchester United on September 20 and has not been back on the pitch since.

Maresca, speaking last week ahead of Chelsea's trip to Azerbaijan in the Champions League, said he was hopeful Palmer would be fit enough to take some part against the Catalan giants this month. He said: "We hope so [he will be available vs Barca], but with Cole we try to plan, we try to schedule, you know, at the beginning. Then we need to review that.

"So in this moment we go day by day with Cole. He's not taking any session with the team. And we have Benoit Badiashile that probably can be available after the international break and that is huge news for us.

"To be honest, I would like to have Cole here tomorrow. I would like to have Cole early. I said many times that we are a better team with Cole. Unfortunately for us, he's out, he's injured, but for sure we want him back very soon."

Opening up on the complexities of the injury, Maresca told football.london: “We need to protect Cole for sure, 100%. Not only Cole, in my personal view, because, as I said now, because of the Club World Cup or because we never stop.

"The solution for Cole, I do not know. Now we have a meeting with the medical staff and we decide the best solution for him. But it's also a kind of injury that is not black and white.

“It's not an injury that someday you can be better. It's not that you are playing and tomorrow you disappear. Sometimes you can be better, sometimes you can be worse. That's why we need to manage day by day."

Despite Palmer's importance to Chelsea, Maresca's men have only lost twice since his injury while claiming big wins over Liverpool and Tottenham.

The likes of Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Pedro have all performed well in his absence, helping the Blues to move up into third and into early title contention with just six points separating them and league leaders Arsenal.

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