Palmer to miss three Crucial Chelsea games against Burnley, Barcelona and Arsenal

A win at Turf Moor could move Chelsea into second place on the Premier League table. But this morning’s media preview kicked off with Maresca confirming a new setback for Palmer.

There had been hope of the England midfielder being ready for next week’s Champions League clash with Barcelona, but Maresca said: “He is probably not available for tomorrow, for sure; Barcelona, for sure; Arsenal, for sure.

“Unfortunately he had an accident at home with his toe. But it’s nothing important. For sure he is not back next week.

“We don’t know. It’s (Palmer’s toe) fractured. The only thing we know he is not available for this week and next week.”

Asked about how the setback occured, Maresca revealed: “I wake up many times in the night to go to the toilet, I hit my head and leg and everything. It can happen.

“The last time I saw him was yesterday morning and he was without socks, without flip-flops, without nothing. I don’t know how he is today. It was in the changing room. He wasn’t limping, he seemed okay, but it’s his small toe, so it can be painful.”

Quizzed whether Chelsea can now succeed without their midfield playmaker, Maresca replied: “Absolutely not, I don’t think that. The team prefer it when Cole is playing, I feel much better with Cole on the pitch but when he is not, we need to find solutions. The team is doing fantastic, really well.

“For any manager, it’s nice when you miss a player but the team still plays in the way you want it to.”