Wesley Fofana and Reece James of Chelsea during a training session (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Palmer injury hint, James and Fofana moment - Three things spotted in Chelsea training

07 Nov 2024, 12:00 by Sam Truelove · football.london

Enzo Maresca has put his Chelsea players through their paces for the last time ahead of their UEFA Conference League clash against Noah.

The Blues welcome the Armenian side to Stamford Bridge on Thursday evening, with the west Londoners hoping to make it three wins from three in the competition. Wins against Gent and Panathinaikos have put Chelsea in a commanding position to qualify for the knockout stages and Maresca will be expecting his side to win yet again this time around.

Ahead of the clash, the Chelsea squad were hard at work at Cobham as Maresca and his staff oversaw training on Wednesday. During the first 15 minutes of the afternoon training session, the world's media were among those in attendance. With the goalkeepers training separately, as they usually do, the outfield players were split into two groups and put through a series of warm-up drills.

Players were then put through passing, tactical and shooting exercises. Below are three things football.london spotted from the session after viewing pictures uploaded to the official Chelsea website and other agencies.

No Palmer

Cole Palmer was not pictured in training, which is a huge worry for everyone associated with Chelsea. The midfielder was also absent from Tuesday's session after picking up a knock during Sunday's 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

The 22-year-old was the recipient of a high challenge from Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez in stoppage time of the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford over the weekend. VAR checked the incident but decided not to overrule referee Rob Jones' initial decision of a yellow card for Martinez.

Maresca, speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Noah, said: "Cole didn't train yesterday. We will see today if he is able to train with us." Asked if he will be fit to face Arsenal on Sunday, Maresca said: "We hope so. But we need to see and then decide."

Palmer was not included in the UEFA Conference League squad list for the group stage of the competition this season as the Blues look to manage the young star's minutes. But with Arsenal coming up, Maresca will be hoping his star man returns to training soon so he can prove his fitness ahead of the clash against the Gunners.

Fofana and James moment

It's clear from looking at the training pictures that squad morale is extremely high at the moment. Maresca appears to have everyone on side, with players often seen smiling and enjoying themselves while training and playing games.

In one training snap, defenders Wesley Fofana and Reece James were seen embracing, with the centre-back's left arm around James' neck. Both players may be rested for the clash with Noah but will likely be back in the side for the game against Arsenal.

Guiu chance?

One of the youngsters involved in the session was Marc Guiu. While the teenager impressed on the club's pre-season tour of the United States, appearances have been hard to come by for the 18-year-old with the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku ahead of him in the striker pecking order.

Guiu has featured in Chelsea's two previous Conference League matches, however, coming off the bench against both Gent and Panathinaikos. It could well be Maresca gives the former Barcelona man yet another chance on Thursday. Ahead of the match, Guiu was spotted wearing a yellow bib and working hard with and without the ball.

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