Cole Palmer's Injury Setback: A Blow to England's World Cup Qualifiers

Chelsea's manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Cole Palmer is likely to be sidelined for England's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia due to a muscular injury. The young forward sustained the injury during a training session, which also kept him out of Chelsea's recent 1-0 defeat to Arsenal. This marked the first time Chelsea played without Palmer since last April, a match that ended in a 5-0 loss against the same opponents.

Maresca expressed his doubts about Palmer's availability for the national team. 'I don't think [he will be fit for England] to be honest,' Maresca stated. 'His injury is from yesterday's session. It's a muscular problem... He needs a scan and the scan is planned for Monday morning.'

The absence of Palmer, along with other key players like Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke, has significantly impacted Chelsea's offensive capabilities. 'It's a huge difference. The three players who have the most goals for us [are] Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke, none of them were inside the pitch,' Maresca lamented. 'Two of them it's already long term that they have been out. It's normal that offensively that we can struggle a little bit.'

Despite the challenges, Chelsea has managed to maintain a strong position in the league's attacking statistics. 'I think even until today we are second or third best attacking in the league. We're doing well with the other players but we could do better with the players that are in this moment injured,' Maresca added.

Palmer, who has contributed to 20 of Chelsea's 53 league goals this season (14 goals, six assists), has been in a scoring drought for the past seven Premier League games. Maresca believes that this forced break might help Palmer regain his top form. 'We don't wish for a player's injury but in Cole's case at this moment, probably give him some rest physically and mentally it could be good,' Maresca commented.

England is set to face Albania this Friday in their first match under new head coach Thomas Tuchel, marking the beginning of their qualification journey for the 2026 World Cup, followed by a home game against Latvia at Wembley.