'Bad news' - Chelsea suffer hammer injury blow as Cole Palmer ruled out of Liverpool clash: report
Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer is reportedly set for a spell on the treatment table.
Chelsea have reportedly suffered a hammer injury blow as one of their key stars will be out of their upcoming clash against Liverpool.
The Reds make the trip to Stamford Bridge on Saturday week and it will be an important battle in the Premier League title race. Arne Slot’s side have made a perfect start to the defence of their English championship, winning all five games so far.
But the visit to West London will be the third of three successive difficult away games for Liverpool. The Reds travel to Crystal Palace this weekend before jetting to Turkey to face Galatasaray in the Champions League.
After finishing fourth last term and then winning the Club World Cup, as well as the Europa Conference League, Chelsea’s ambitions will be to climb challenge for the Premier League crown. The Blues lost their first game of the 2025-26 campaign last weekend when suffering a 2-1 defeat by Manchester United at Old Trafford. Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was issued a red card in the fifth minute.
And Chelsea’s talisman Cole Palmer was substituted in the first half. At the time, it appeared to be a tactical decision from head coach Enzo Maresca. However, Palmer - who recorded 18 goals and 14 assists last term - has been struggling with a groin problem.
The attacking midfielder did not feature for the Blues in a 2-1 triumph at Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup last night. Ahead of the game, Maresca said: “We need to protect Cole, for sure,” Maresca said. “Not only Cole, in my personal view, because of the Club World Cup and because we never stop.
“We need to manage and protect different players. For sure, Cole is one of them. Another one is Moi [Moises Caicedo]. Joao Pedro, also. Since he joined us, he's playing every game. The solution with Cole, I don't know.”
However, Palmer is set for a spell on the sidelines, reports suggest. According to Chelsea reporter Simon Phillips on Substack, the England international is set to be unavailable for between three and six weeks. It’s suggested Palmer aggravated his problem in last week’s 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Chelsea will already be without striker Liam Delap, who is recovering from a hamstring injury while centre-back Levi Colwill has an ACL problem and is set to miss most of the season. Meanwhile, Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile both missed out against Lincoln.
Maresca’s side face Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday and have another home fixture against Benfica in the Champions League before hosting Liverpool.