Is Cole Palmer fit to face Arsenal tonight? Mauricio Pochettino urges Chelsea to show he is more than an England star
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has challenged his players to prove they are more than a 'Cole Palmer Football Club' against Arsenal tonight.
The 21-year-old is a big doubt for the trip to the Emirates. live and exclusively on talkSPORTafter missing training due to illness.
Palmer has missed just one Premier League game for Chelsea this season following his £40million transfer from Manchester City.
The England international missed the club's 2-1 win over Crystal Palace due to a backlog of yellow cards in December.
The 20-goal forward scored in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the second leg in October, but he may not be there tonight.
Is Palmer fit to face Arsenal?
Palmer's involvement in the London derby is unconfirmed, but the England star will probably be involved somewhere.
When asked about top scorer Palmer at his team's press conference on Monday, Pochettino said: “Not today (he can't play). We'll see tomorrow morning. Today I don't think he can be involved.”
“Even if he is fine tomorrow, he may not be fit to play. We hope he can recover from this situation and be involved with the team.”
If Palmer fails a late fitness test and misses out, Pochettino has challenged his other players to step up in his absence.
He told reporters: “We'll see. We will see. It's a good challenge if Palmer isn't available tomorrow. It's a good challenge for her peers or those in a similar position.
“If I were them, I would be motivated to go there tomorrow and show that this is Chelsea Football Club, not Cole Palmer Football Club.”
Arsenal vs Chelsea: talkSPORT coverage
This Premier League clash will take place on Tuesday, April 23.
Kick-off at the Emirates Stadium is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
talkSPORT will have EXCLUSIVE live coverage of the game hosted by Adrian Durham.
The comment will come from Sam Matterface and former England defender Danny Mills.