BERGAMO, Italy (AP) — Cole Palmer, who has only just returned from injury, will be rested for Chelsea's Champions League trip to Atalanta on Tuesday.
The England forward made his first start since September for his club in Saturday’s goalless Premier League draw at Bournemouth.
“Cole is in part of his process in this moment," Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said at his pre-match press conference Monday. "He’s not available, he can’t play two games in a row in three days. We planned that and it’s just a way to protect him.”
Palmer was initially sidelined by a groin problem before his return was put back by a toe injury.
Liam Delap is also absent after the striker injured his shoulder at Bournemouth, but Maresca had a positive update on him. “Liam, fortunately, (there) is not any fracture so that is good news,” the Italian said. “In terms of how long he will be out, we are not sure at this stage.”
Chelsea is seventh in the Champions League standings, having beaten Barcelona 3-0 at Stamford Bridge last time out.
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FILE - Chelsea's Cole Palmer during the Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Chelsea in London, Sept. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
After leaving Mohamed Salah at home, Liverpool needs to show it can win without the Egyptian forward as Arne Slot's team takes on Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.
On a night when Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Tottenham are all in action, the focus is on Liverpool after Salah said Saturday it “seems like the club has thrown me under the bus.” Liverpool's response was to leave him out of the squad for its trip to Italy.
Liverpool's poor recent form boosts Inter's chances of picking up a fifth win in six games. A win for 13th-place Liverpool would put Slot's team back into the hunt for the top eight seedings for the knockout stages.
After losing its last Champions League game 3-0 to Chelsea, Barcelona aims to recover at home to struggling Eintracht Frankfurt. It will have to do without defender Ronald Araujo, who is suspended after his red card against Chelsea and has also been unavailable for personal reasons.
Seventh-place Chelsea is unbeaten in four Champions League games and visits Atalanta aiming to strengthen its hold on a top-eight spot offering direct entry to the round of 16. Bayern can earn its fifth win of the league stage by beating Sporting Lisbon in an early kickoff.
Tottenham, which lost 5-3 to Paris Saint-Germain last time out, has an easier task against Czech team Slavia Prague. Atletico Madrid visits PSV Eindhoven, Monaco hosts Galatasaray and Union Saint-Gilloise plays Marseille.
One game starts in an unusually early window at 1530 GMT (10:30 a.m. ET) as Kazakhstan's Kairat Almaty hosts Greece's Olympiacos.
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Chelsea's Andrey Santos during a training session at Cobham Training Ground, London, Monday Dec. 8, 2025 ahead of Tuesday's Champions League soccer match against Atalanta. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)
Bayern's head coach Vincent Kompany attends a training session in Munich, Germany, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, ahead of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between FC Bayern and Sporting Lisbon. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah smiles as he takes part in a training session in Liverpool, England, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
