Which Chelsea games could Cole Palmer miss after…

Which Chelsea games could Cole Palmer miss after six-week injury setback?

Cole Palmer has been ruled out for a further six weeks in a hammer blow for Chelsea.

Blues boss Enzo Maresca confirmed that his talisman would be sidelined for an extended period as he continues to recover from a groin injury.

The problem has plagued the England international’s start to the campaign, and it has been something he has been suffering with since he pulled out of the 5-1 win over West Ham in the warm-up.

That was back in August, and now Palmer has not played for the west Londoners since their 2-1 defeat by Manchester United back in September.

He had played through the pain barrier to get through that game, as well as the 2-2 draw at Brentford and the 3-1 loss at Bayern Munich in the Champions League, where Palmer was on the scoresheet in both fixtures.

The attacking midfielder has since missed a home defeat by Brighton and the last-minute win over Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

But with Maresca ruling Palmer out for another six weeks, what crucial games could he miss?

The Blues return to Premier League action with a visit to Nottingham Forest on Saturday lunchtime, before they host Ajax in the Champions League next Wednesday.

They welcome Sunderland to the Bridge the following weekend, and then travel to Wolves in the League Cup fourth round to finish October.

Moving into November, they take on London rivals Tottenham on the first day of the month, before a trip to Azerbaijan to take on Qarabag in the Champions League in midweek.

The Blues face Wolves once more - in the league this time - on November 8, before the third international break of the campaign.

England take on Serbia and Albania in their World Cup qualifying games in that period, before club football returns on November 22, when Chelsea head to Burnley.

The fixtures that Chelsea fans will really want their star man fit for are the two at the end of November, where Barcelona come to town in the Champions League, and that is followed by a home clash with Arsenal.