Chelsea's Palmer to miss Fulham derby with groin injury

Cole Palmer will miss Chelsea's Premier League derby with Fulham on Saturday after being withdrawn from the starting lineup minutes before last Friday's 5-1 win at West Ham because of a groin problem, manager Enzo Maresca confirmed on Wednesday. Palmer, 23, was later omitted from the England squad named this week, Maresca said, and his availability will be assessed on a day-by-day basis.

Maresca said Palmer had been "not 100" for several days and felt the issue again during the warmup at the London Stadium, prompting a precautionary removal from the team to avoid making the injury worse. The manager added, "Cole is out, Benoit is out, Romeo is out and the rest are OK," while stressing the club will monitor Palmer's recovery closely. Maresca also acknowledged that Chelsea are a stronger side with Palmer but insisted the team can adapt when he is unavailable, pointing to the comprehensive win at West Ham as evidence.

Palmer had played through groin discomfort in Chelsea's opening weekend draw with Crystal Palace, according to the club, and some reports suggest the problem could have originated during a busy summer that included the Club World Cup. He was replaced at West Ham by...