11 Chelsea games Cole Palmer is set to miss after Enzo Maresca confirms big injury blow

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Cole Palmer is set to remain sidelined for another six weeks in a devastating blow for Chelsea and Enzo Maresca.

The 23-year-old has endured a nightmare start to the campaign, managing only four appearances across all competitions. His last outing came in the 2-1 loss at Manchester United on Saturday, September 20.

Palmer has been absent for the previous four fixtures and it now seems he faces an extended spell on the treatment table , according to Blues boss Maresca. "I was wrong [about Palmer]," he said on Friday.

"Unfortunately, he needs to be out for six more weeks. We try to protect Cole as much as we can. The most important thing is when he comes back, he is fully fit. The medical staff are not magicians. We hope six weeks are enough. We need to see it step by step. For sure, he's going to be okay."

Should Chelsea's assessment prove accurate and Palmer remains unavailable for another six weeks, his comeback could be a tantalising showdown against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, November 30.

He would be forced to watch from the sidelines for nine club matches - plus two England internationals - before that potential return, though. Beginning with Saturday's away trip to Nottingham Forest , Palmer would then miss consecutive home encounters against Ajax in the Champions League next Wednesday and Sunderland the following weekend.

The former Manchester City star won't be fit for the Carabao Cup fourth round tie at Wolves , a Premier League trip to Tottenham , a Champions League fixture at Qarabag and another top-flight match against Wolves before the season's third international break.

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Palmer will also be out of contention for England's World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania in November and he'll miss two more club games before hopefully making his comeback.

A journey to Burnley and a high-profile home game against Barcelona in the Champions League are the last two matches in the additional six-week period that Palmer is expected to sit out.

Palmer kicked off the Premier League season opener against Crystal Palace and was selected in the starting line-up to face West Ham a week later, but a groin injury during the warm-up forced him to pull out.

After a three-week absence, Palmer made his return post the September international break as a substitute against Brentford, appearing to have fully recovered from his initial groin issue.

He found the back of the net in the draw at the Gtech Community Stadium and scored again, this time from the start, at Bayern Munich in the Champions League. However, after starting at Manchester United three days later, Palmer had to be substituted within the first quarter and hasn't played since.

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