Chelsea: Cole Palmer set for late fitness test ahead of Brentford trip as Liam Delap injury timeline revealed | OneFootball

Blues star has missed the last two games through injury, but could return for the big west London derby

Your matchday briefing on Chelsea, featuring team news and expert analysis from Dom Smith

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Chelsea star Cole Palmer faces a late fitness test for the Premier League clash against Brentford this weekend.

Palmer has missed Chelsea’s last two games after withdrawing from the starting XI against West Ham just before kick-off after suffering a groin injury in the warm-up.

The good news is that Palmer has returned to partial training ahead of Saturday night’s game against Brentford, but Enzo Maresca has confirmed an immediate return to action is not a guarantee.

“Today in the afternoon we have one more session. We are going to try with him. If we think he feels good, it’s okay. Otherwise he will be out tomorrow.

“It is just recovery from the injury. We probably need to manage him a little bit.”

Ruled out:

Adam Davy/PA Wire

One player who will certainly miss the west London derby is summer signing Liam Delap after he suffered a hamstring injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham before the international break.

Initially, Maresca said afterwards that it was the sort of injury that usually meant six to eight weeks on the sidelines, but the Italian now expects to be without the striker for up to three months.

He added: "Liam is, I think, around ten to 12 weeks [out]."