Enzo Maresca has announced that Cole Palmer will not participate in the upcoming Carabao Cup quarter-final against Cardiff City, as the team continues to carefully manage his playing time. The Blues are set to travel to the Welsh capital for a clash that could secure them a place in the last four of the competition. Their previous victory against Wolverhampton has set the stage for this highly anticipated match.
Palmer, who recently made his return after recovering from both groin and toe injuries, was crucial in Chelsea’s victory over Everton, scoring in a strong performance. However, Maresca has emphasized the importance of protecting Palmer’s fitness. “I’ve already said many times in plenty of press conferences that we have a number of players that need to be protected,” he explained. “Cole is one of the players who deserves to be protected right now. In this moment, he’s not available to play two games in three days.”
While Palmer will miss the Cardiff match, Maresca is optimistic that he will be ready for the weekend’s fixture against Newcastle.
In preparation for the game against Cardiff, Maresca acknowledges that squad rotation will be necessary, given that several players have competed in five matches over the last two weeks. “We’ll see how many changes we make, but for sure we have players that need to recover energy,” he added.
Cardiff City, under the management of Brian Barry-Murphy, is enjoying a superb spell as they sit atop League One. Maresca, who is familiar with Barry-Murphy from their time at Manchester City, respects the challenge that Cardiff will present. “They are top of the league, playing nice football and winning games. This will be a dangerous game for us, and we need to pay attention,” he stated.
As the Chelsea squad looks to advance in the Carabao Cup, they will face a confident Cardiff side eager to prove themselves against a Premier League opponent. Maresca is focused on seizing the opportunity to reach the semi-finals of this prestigious tournament.