Football News

The England international was absent from the Blues' most-recent fixture on Tuesday night, when the West Londoners made the trip across the capital to face Arsenal.

Without the presence of their leading goalscorer, Chelsea suffered a heavy defeat at the home of Mikel Arteta's Gunners, who are hunting down a first Premier League title in two decades.

Leandro Trossard's early strike meant that Arsenal went into the half-time break a goal up, before those in attendance witnessed a second-period capitulation from the visitors.

Right-back Ben White and former Chelsea man Kai Havertz both managed to bag braces in the second half, leaving Mauricio Pochettino's side with no chance of earning any points from the contest.

Following Tuesday's harrowing defeat at the Emirates, there has been some positive news for Chelsea regarding the fitness of a first-team star.

After missing the trip to North London, Palmer has been pictured back in training with his Blues teammates ahead of the match at Unai Emery's Aston Villa on Saturday.

The Second City club are enjoying a productive campaign so far and are close to securing a spot in the Champions League ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

The Villans are also fighting on the continental stage during the final weeks of the term, with a Europa Conference League semi-final against Olympiacos scheduled for the start of May.

It is currently unclear whether Palmer will be fit to start the Villa Park contest, however Chelsea boss Pochettino is likely to provide an update on the attacker during Friday's pre-match

Mikel Arteta Aston Villa Erling Haaland Unai Emery Leandro Trossard Cole Palmer Mauricio Pochettino Kai Havertz Ben White