Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer is available again for the club's Premier League meeting with Manchester United on Saturday, according to the London Evening Standard. The attacker sat out Wednesday's Carabao Cup fourth-round exit to Liverpool, which Chelsea lost on penalties, after being sent off late in last weekend's 2-0 defeat at Tottenham.
His return gives manager Xabi Alonso an attacking option he lacked at Anfield, though the squad news around it is largely discouraging. The Standard reports that the predicted Chelsea XI against United is: Penders; Acheampong, Colwill, Fofana; Neto, Caicedo, Henderson, Chavarria; Palmer, Rogers; Welbeck.
Why it matters
Palmer's availability matters because Chelsea's recent weeks have been defined by absences. The club has lost a captain, a first-choice striker and now a summer defensive signing to injury in quick succession, and the midweek cup elimination at Liverpool came without its most recognisable attacking name.
Getting Palmer back for a fixture of this profile is a lift, but it does not solve the wider problem. Alonso's team selection is being shaped as much by the treatment room as by form, and the Standard's report suggests the manager is still piecing together a side from the players he has left.
Lacroix out for weeks as defensive options thin
Maxence Lacroix, a summer arrival, pulled up with a hamstring problem shortly before half-time at Anfield. Speaking at his pre-United press conference on Friday, Alonso said the defender is unlikely to feature again before the November international break.
"Max, he picked up an injury, and we expect that he's not going to be ready before the international break," Alonso said, per the Standard. "So he will be a few weeks out."
The Standard also notes that later reports have suggested Chelsea are concerned Lacroix may not return until the New Year. That would extend an already crowded absence list. Captain Reece James is out until January after knee surgery, and striker Joao Pedro is dealing with a thigh complaint that Alonso said would keep him out for a few weeks.
"He has an injury to his thigh, and he is going to be out for a few weeks," Alonso said of Joao Pedro before the Liverpool match. "Let's see how many. We don't want to predict on that, but he is not ready for the next games."
Mixed fitness news elsewhere
Not every update is negative. Malo Gusto and Moises Caicedo both came through the Liverpool game despite carrying knocks and are fit to face United. Pep Chavarria is in line to be included in the matchday squad again, while Jorrel Hato is still unavailable.
In goal, Emi Martinez could return sooner than expected from a broken jaw. The Argentina international has consulted a specialist about a protective face mask following surgery on the injury, which he sustained in an accidental collision with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite. Alonso put the goalkeeper's chances of featuring before the international break at possible rather than certain.
"Yes, there is a chance," Alonso said. "We need to still wait for next week, but let's see how things go. But there is a chance."
Winger Jamie Gittens remains out with an ankle problem sustained while playing for England's Under-21s during the previous international window.
Chelsea's fixture against United will show how well Alonso's reshuffled lineup copes without Lacroix, James and Joao Pedro, and whether Palmer's return can offset those losses.
