Enzo Maresca says Cole Palmer’s recovery from a toe injury is going well, but the Blues number 10 will not feature against Barcelona tomorrow evening.
The Blues hosted the La Liga team at Stamford Bridge under the lights, with both sides on seven points from four league stage fixtures.
Our Italian head coach faced questions from the media at his pre-match press conference this afternoon and gave an update on Palmer, who suffered a fractured toe in a freak accident at home last week.
‘Yes, Cole is wearing a boot,’ Maresca told gathered reporters.
‘We don’t know when he will be fully fit, but it will be soon. He is already on the pitch and touching the ball. The feeling is good.
‘Right now, we are only focusing on tomorrow’s game. It’s the Champions League game against Barcelona, that’s our focus and then we’ll look ahead to Arsenal.
‘I don’t think he will be available for these two matches, but he is performing well.’
After victory at Burnley on Saturday, the Blues enter an important week with high-profile games against Barcelona in the Champions League and Arsenal in the Premier League on the agenda.
Acknowledging the ‘big game’ feeling in these fixtures, Maresca was quick to reiterate that every match has its own importance and urged his players to focus only on the next opponent.
‘Of course, it’s a big week for us,’ explained the Italian. ‘But after this week, we have Leeds away, Bournemouth away, and Atalanta away. It’s another big week
‘Every week is big and they are all important games – and every game is for three points. Of course, there are games like Barcelona and Arsenal that are important for different reasons, but the best thing for us is to go game by game.’
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