Is Cole Palmer fit to face Arsenal tonight? Mauricio Pochettino urges Chelsea to show they are more than England star
23/04/2024 17:39
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has challenged his players to prove they a more than ‘Cole Palmer Football Club’ against Arsenal tonight.
The 21-year-old is a major doubt for the trip to the Emirates, live and exclusively on talkSPORT, after missing training due to illness.
Palmer has missed just one Premier League game for Chelsea this season following his £40million switch from Manchester City.
The England international sat out the club’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace due to an accumulation of yellow cards in December.
The 20-goal forward scored in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal in October’s reverse fixture but may be missing this evening.
Is Palmer fit to face Arsenal?
Palmer’s involvement for the London derby is unconfirmed but the England star will likely be involved in some part.
Asked about top scorer Palmer in his side’s press conference on Monday, Pochettino said: “Today, no [he cannot play]. We will see tomorrow morning. Today, I don’t believe he can be involved.
“Even if he is good tomorrow, maybe he is not in a condition to play. We hope he can recover from this situation and be involved with the team.”
Should Palmer fail a late fitness test and miss out then Pochettino has challenged his other players to step up in his absence.
He told reporters: "We will see. We will see. It is a good challenge if Palmer is not available tomorrow. It's a good challenge for his teammates or those in a similar position.
"If I were them, I would be motivated to go there tomorrow and show that this is Chelsea Football Club, not Cole Palmer Football Club."
Arsenal vs Chelsea: talkSPORT coverage
This Premier League clash will take place on Tuesday, April 23.
Kick-off at the Emirates Stadium is scheduled for 8pm.
talkSPORT will have EXCLUSIVE live coverage of the game presented by Adrian Durham.
Commentary will come from Sam Matterface and former England defender Danny Mills.
