1 of 5 | Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer broke one of his toes during an accident Wednesday at his home. File Photo by Christian Brunskill/UPI | License Photo
Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer fractured a toe during an accident at his home and will miss at least three matches, the Blues announced Friday.
That time off will start when the Blues face Burnley on Saturday in the Premier League. Palmer also will miss Tuesday’s Champion’s League meeting with Barcelona and a Nov. 30 Premier League battle with first-place Arsenal.
“For sure, he won’t feature in this game, and for sure not for Barcelona or Arsenal,” Blues coach Enzo Maresca told reporters. “Unfortunately, he had an accident at home two days ago where he hit his toe. It is fractured. It’s disappointing, but these things can happen.
“It’s nothing too serious, but it’s causing him some pain on his little toe and for sure he’s not going to be available for this week or next.”
Palmer had been inactive since September because of a groin injury and was nearing a return, but sustained the setback Wednesday.
“He was very close to being back with us from his groin issue,” Maresca said. “Which is very good, but then he had this problem with his toe, which has set him back. It’s nothing major, but he needs a bit more time to recover.”
Maresca also told reporters Friday that defender Benoit Badiashile is ready to return from an injury hiatus and could place against Burnley.
The Blues (6-3-2) sit in third place in the Premier League, behind Arsenal (8-1-2) and second-place Manchester City (7-3-1). They will battle Burnley at 7:30 a.m. EST Saturday in Burnley.
With a win, the Blues could temporarily move into second place in the Premier League standings. But the Sky Blues could reclaim their second-place spot when they take on Newcastle at 12:30 p.m. in Newcastle upon Tyne.
