Cole Palmer and Reece James out as Chelsea dealt fresh Liam Delap concern for Arsenal clash

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·14 de janeiro de 2026

Cole Palmer and Reece James out as Chelsea dealt fresh Liam Delap concern for Arsenal clash

Five first-team players are missing for the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg

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Vídeos OneFootball

Chelsea have been hit with a triple injury blow for their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal, with Cole Palmer, Reece James and Malo Gusto all missing from the matchday squad.

The trio were all doubts for Wednesday evening’s meeting with the Gunners after being left out of the squad for Saturday's FA Cup win at Charlton through "precautionary" measures.

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior told reporters on Monday that a late call will be made on their involvement, following discussions with the club's medical team on Tuesday. None have been passed fit.

"We have been really unfortunate,” Rosenior told Sky Sports ahead of the game.

“Reece took a knock on his hip, so was not quite ready for this one. Palmer should be available for Saturday, but just not tonight.

“Gusto will hopefully will be ready for Brenford [at the weekend].”

Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens were also absent from the squad after feeling ill.

An experimental-looking Chelsea team was named, with the likes of regular starters Robert Sanchez, Trevoh Chalobah, Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez alongside rotation options Estevao, Josh Acheampong and striker Marc Guiu.

Rosenior had praised Guiu's goalscoring performance after the Charlton match, which was Rosenior's first game at the helm.