In Sunday’s faceoff, both the Chelsea and Arsenal teams could be doing so with diminished line-ups, with Palmer and Rice possibly missing from the line-up.
What happened to Palmer to get injured, and what did Maresca say?
Palmer got a knock during the 1-1points draw with Manchester United last Sunday in a challenge by Martinez.
“Cole is improving, but it does not mean he is fully fit because he can walk and even have dinner,” Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca said in his pre-match interview.
He is playing better now and it natured that we still have two more days in which to prepare for the game. But we hope we can get him for a session – at the least on Saturday – and then we can determine our next course of action.”
What exactly happened to Rice and what were Arteta’s comments on the same?
Rice, on the other hand, had to be withdrawn after his foot dealt a blow during Arsenal’s match against Newcastle United last Saturday, in a 1-0 loss, and could not be part of Arsenal’s 0-3 thrashing by Internazionale in the UEFA Champions League match on Wednesday.
On that one, I have to be very vague because I have no idea if he will be available for the weekend, said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta in his post-match presser.
When asked if Rice has a broken toe, Arteta added: “That is regarding the doctor statement, what I can tell is that, he has not practiced and it’s hard to tell if he will be free to play or not.”
Palmer’s impact at Chelsea
The 22-year-old has been one of England’s brightest players in the Premier League since signing for Chelsea from Manchester City in the summer of 2015.
Palmer currently holds some remarkable records in Chelsea with none of the team players having equal or more goal records, assists, attempted goal records, and opportunities created in the Premier League since the start of 2023/24.
Only Erling Haaland out of all Premier League players has scored more than his 29 goals in the same period.
Rice’s impact at Arsenal
Losing Rice in arsenal would be a big blow for them on Sunday.
From his move to Arsenal from West Ham United last summer; the performance of few Arsenal players can compare him in most statistics.
He is the leader of the tackles, interceptions, distance, and progressive carries for the whole team with an average age of 25 years.
So far, only one midfielder in the Premier League has surpassed him in terms of mileage for the 2023/24 season.
