Enzo Maresca has given his pre-match press conference before tomorrow’s Champions League opener against Bayern Munich.
One question has been on the minds of fans since the weekend, when Cole Palmer did not feature in the starting XI against Brentford.
He would be introduced as a substitute in the second half, bagging his first goal from open play since January.
But his exclusion from the lineup has raised questions over his fitness and whether he will feature against the German champions.
That was the question posed to Enzo Maresca.
Enzo Maresca says Cole Palmer didn’t start as he’s not 100% fit
The initial topic was whether Maresca would field his strongest XI against Munich, which naturally led to the Englishman’s name being brought up.
Palmer has been dealing with a groin issue since before the international break.
He kept it brief: “In the last game, Cole was not fit 100% to play 90 minutes.”
As for whether the Chelsea star would feature on Wednesday night, the Argentinian gave a characteristically tight-lipped answer: “Three days ago, he didn’t play from the start because he was not able to do that. We’ll see tomorrow.”
Not the response Chelsea fans would have wanted, but maybe the expected outcome.
Maresca may not want to give Vincent Kompany any hints as to whether he should be preparing for a Palmer appearance.
Cole Palmer will surely play
Not only is this the first game of the league phase, it’s one of Chelsea’s most difficult. Bayern are a force to be reckoned with, especially on their home turf.
Chelsea will need to be at full strength, and Palmer is their strongest attacker.
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His groin injury forced him off in England’s most recent match, but if it was still a serious issue, Maresca surely would not have risked bringing him on against Brentford.
It seems more like he was saving him for this game, which will set the tone for Chelsea’s European campaign. Hopefully, that is the case.
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