Cole Palmer has not been included in Chelsea's matchday squad to face Arsenal despite playing in their FA Cup loss to Manchester City at the weekend.
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Article continues below
- Arsenal host Chelsea in Premier League
- Palmer played in FA Cup loss to Man City
- But not included in squad to face Gunners
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The England international completed 90 minutes on Saturday as the Blues lost 1-0 to City in the semi-finals of the FA Cup at Wembley. However, he is not on Chelsea's bench for Tuesday night's trip to the Emirates – let alone in the starting lineup. So why is he not featuring in this London derby?
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THE EXPLANATION
On Monday, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino revealed the 21-year-old had been suffering from illness since that match. That has kept him out of team training, with the Argentine admitting he would make a late call over the former City youngster. Now, it has become clear Chelsea's top scorer, who has bagged 20 league goals this season, has not recovered in time for the encounter.
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WHAT MAURICIO POCHETTINO SAID
On Monday, the former Tottenham boss said on Palmer: "We need to assess tomorrow (Tuesday) morning but today I don’t believe he can be involved. We need to assess tomorrow and then decide. Even if he is feeling better tomorrow, maybe he is not in a condition to play. We hope he recovers from this situation and can be involved again as soon as possible. With or without Cole we always believe we can win. The most important thing is the team and the collective. He is an important part of the team and is doing fantastic for us, but we are Chelsea and we have plenty of players that can perform and do the job."
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THE BIG PICTURE
In a season that promised so much but delivered so little, Palmer has been one of the few positives at Stamford Bridge. The £42.5 million ($53m) recruit from City has scored 23 goals and bagged 13 assists in all competitions and without him they would be nowhere near trying to qualify for Europe. In truth, they would have been closer to the relegation zone than the top seven. Therefore, his presence may be sorely missed against Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal.