Chelsea have been handed a huge lift after Enzo Maresca officially confirmed that Cole Palmer is ready to start again. The Blues have missed his creativity and calm presence during a long spell on the sidelines, and his return feels timely as the team try to steady themselves after a tricky run of fixtures.
SoftFootball previously reported how Chelsea's title hopes took a dent in the loss at Leeds , where Palmer made his first brief appearance since injury. The difference in Chelsea's tempo once he was introduced hinted at how much the squad had missed him.
The midfielder had already made the bench in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal on November 30, although he never got the chance to come on because Chelsea went down to ten men so early, something SoftFootball pointed out in the derby report.
