Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Maresca provided a positive update on Palmer’s fitness following Chelsea’s midweek trip to Germany.

“Yes, Cole is okay,” Maresca said. “We have a training session now where we’ll look at the players. We flew back yesterday, so we need to assess some of the guys before we make a decision for the weekend.”

The Blues are looking to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League and will face a quick turnaround ahead of their visit to Manchester. With limited recovery time, Maresca admitted there are still fitness concerns within the squad.

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“We haven’t had a session since the game on Wednesday,” he added. “We have some doubts, but we’ll see after today’s training.”

One player who could make the matchday squad is Marc Guiu. The young Spanish striker was recently recalled early from his loan at Sunderland following an injury to Liam Delap, and Maresca confirmed he is under consideration for the weekend.

“Marc Guiu is back, and the reason he is back is because we intend to use him,” Maresca explained. “He’s a good player. While there are still things he needs to improve, we know what Marc can offer us. For sure, we are going to use him.”

Chelsea will be hoping to return to winning ways as they face Ruben Amorim’s side, who currently sit ahead of them in the league table.

Source: Punch