Enzo Maresca delivers bad Cole Palmer news as Chelsea talisman heads into international break with worrying injury

Chelsea have been dealt a hammer blow ahead of their clash against Fulham on Saturday as head coach Maresca confirmed Palmer will remain on the sidelines as he recovers from the groin injury he suffered last week.

Maresca named Palmer in Chelsea's squad for last Friday's Premier League encounter against West Ham at London Stadium. The Englishman was in line for his second start of the season but had to withdraw from the game after experiencing trouble during pre-match warm-up sessions. Tests following the game confirmed he had injured his groin and was indefinitely sidelined from action, even missing training this week. While there has been no update on when the ex-Manchester City starlet will return to fitness, it is likely he won't shrug off his injury issue until after the upcoming international break.

Speaking at the pre-match presser ahead of Saturday's game at Stamford Bridge, Maresca said: “Cole is out, Benoit [Badiashille] is out, Romeo [Lavia] is out. The rest are okay. Cole, we need to see day by day."

Due to a stacked midfield and attack, one can expect Maresca to figure out a plan to thwart the Fulham challenge akin to the 5-1 hammering of West Ham. Estevao Willian started in Palmer's place for last week's clash and Maresca is confident they have enough quality in the 23-year-old's absence. “When Cole is not in the game, we need to find different solutions. Hopefully tomorrow we can do the same," the Blues' manager added.