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Could Cole Palmer’s potential absence cause Chelsea chaos in Italy

Cole Palmer pictured celebrating a goal for Chelsea at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup

Atalanta will face Chelsea for the first-ever time when they meet at the Stadio di Bergamo in the Champions League phase on Tuesday.

​Both sides are still in prime contention to qualify for the Round of 16, via the automatic qualification positions, with both sides currently on 10 points after five matches. But, there might be a problem for the visitors with England international Cole Palmer missing training on Monday.

Will we see Palmer at the Stadio di Bergamo on Tuesday

Palmer’s absence from Monday’s training session will understandably start the alarm bells ringing in the heads of everyone associated with Chelsea.

However, it is reported that Palmer’s non-attendance at Cobham was the way the club had always looked to proceed after an early-season toe injury. Despite starting in the goalless Premier League draw at Bournemouth on Saturday, Palmer only lasted 58 minutes before being replaced by João Pedro.

For such an important player to Chelsea, who scored 15 goals and provided eight assists in the league last season, it would arguably be a huge risk playing him at the Stadio di Bergamo.

There is every chance he will start the game, but only a certain number of people know if he will or not.

Atalanta have been a roll since their opening day defeat

​Raffaele Palladino’s newly-inherited side find themselves just outside the top eight positions on only goal difference after winning three, drawing one, and losing their only match to Paris Saint-Germain.

​The 4-0 defeat on the opening day of this season’s Champions League phase against the defending champions has been followed by a plethora of improving, eye-catching performances.

Back-to-back wins ‘to nil’ against Eintracht Frankfurt and Olympique Marseille across the last two gameweeks have promoted La Dea towards avoiding the stressful nature of the play-off round of matches.

​Tuesday’s challenge will be welcoming the 2024/25 Conference League winners, Chelsea, to the Stadio di Bergamo. However, things didn’t go to plan for Palladino’s side domestically this past weekend after they were humbled 3-1 at Hellas Verona.

On the other boot, Chelsea couldn’t secure three points at Bournemouth in the Premier League, but avoided ending up on the losing side, unlike Atalanta, after a goalless draw.

​Switching attention to the Serie A outfit, who are on a four-match unbeaten run in the Champions League (W3, D1), but haven’t celebrated against English opposition in seven matches.

Securing an all-important three points will be even more of a challenge considering that Chelsea have triumphed in a hat-trick of H2H matches against Italian sides without conceding.

Fully-fit squad to choose from will benefit Palladino and Co

​With such a momentous prize on offer, Palladino will have wanted his side to be at full-strength, and that’s exactly what the Italian managerial maestro has at his disposal.

​Attacking assets Ademola Lookman and Charles De Ketelaere, who respectively tore through Frankfurt in the last Champions League gameday, are expected to start up top alongside Gianluca Scamacca.

At the opposite end of the 3-4-1-2 formation, Odilon Kossounou, Isak Hien, and Berat Djimsiti will marshal the backline, in front of the hosts’ last line of defence, Marco Carnesecchi.

​Something that could benefit Atalanta is visiting manager Enzo Maresca Chelsea tinkering that could see his starting XI in Lombardy change from defence to attack compared to on Saturday.

​Predicted starting XIs:

​Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Hein, Djimsiti; Bellanova, Éderson, Zappacosta, de Roon; Scamacca, De Ketelaere, Lookman

​Chelsea: Sánchez; James, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernández; Estêvão, Palmer, Gittens; Pedro

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