Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has provided the latest fitness updates on Marc Cucurella, Reece James, and Cole Palmer ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash against Burnley.
The Blues host the relegation-threatened visitors on Saturday afternoon as they look to continue their impressive league form under Rosenior, who took charge in January following the departure of Enzo Maresca.
However, they will be without first-choice left-back Cucurella for the encounter. The Spanish international has been sidelined since picking up a hamstring injury in the first half of the 2-2 draw against Leeds United in their last league outing, which forced him to be substituted at halftime.
The 27-year-old missed last Friday’s 4-0 win over Hull City in the FA Cup fourth round and has not recovered in time to feature this weekend.
“I can’t give an exact timeframe on Marc. He suffered a hamstring injury. It’s a real shame because he’s one of the best left-backs in the world. We have Jorrel and Malo who can cover”, Rosenior confirmed during Thursday’s pre-match press conference in quotes revealed by football london.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have been handed great news with both Palmer and James cleared to play. Palmer has been managing a lingering groin injury that has affected his season, and he was left out of the squad for the win over Hull City as a precaution.
James, on the other hand, missed the club’s last two league matches with a minor knock but returned for the FA Cup win, playing about an hour of that clash and has been passed fit for Saturday’s clash.
“It’s based on day by day, not just those two, but how each player feels. They both trained really well today.”
Chelsea have won three of their last four league matches against Burnley and could move temporarily into fourth place with another victory, ahead of Liverpool’s visit to Nottingham Forest on Sunday and Manchester United’s trip to Everton on Monday night.
