Chelsea are set to make late calls on key trio Cole Palmer, Reece James, and Malo Gusto for Wednesday night’s League Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal.
Chelsea rested a few players for their FA Cup tie against Charlton Athletic at the weekend, but three of them remain doubts to return to action against Arsenal for Wednesday’s League Cup semi-final first leg.
“I’ll make a decision on Cole [Palmer], Reece [James] and Malo [Gusto] tomorrow,” new Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior told a press conference on Monday.
“I’m giving them some extra time. I’ve got time to make a decision, I haven’t made a decision on the team. We’ll make that decision tomorrow or the morning of Wednesday.
“It was a good time for them to rest in an FA Cup game. I believe in this group, and there’s no reason to take risks on players’ health if you believe that you can win the game and they can do extra training sessions and extra bits of work.”
Reports from elsewhere suggest James and Gusto are dealing with muscle tightness, whilst Palmer is continuing to manage his groin issue. The trio haven’t been able to train consistently recently, so their fitness for the midweek fixture is in doubt.
One player who will definitely be out is Moises Caicedo, who is suspended for the first leg due to an accumulation of yellow cards in the League Cup.
Caicedo will serve a one-match ban on Wednesday, but he’ll be eligible to play in the second leg at the Emirates Stadium. That’s as long as he doesn’t pick up a red card and a fourth suspension of the season in Chelsea’s three Premier League games between the two legs.
Chelsea will also be without Romeo Lavia, Levi Colwill, and Mykhailo Mudryk, but Marc Cucurella will return after serving his one-match ban for a red card against Fulham.