'The impact': Leicester manager Steve Cooper admits Chelsea player is a 'threat' in Saturday's match
Chelsea return after the international break with a trip to Leicester City this weekend, and they do so with plenty of attacking firepower at their disposal.
Leicester have one of the leakiest defences in the Premier League this season, conceding 21 goals in their 11 games. It’s certainly an area of weakness for Steve Cooper’s side.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have been extremely free-scoring by netting 45 times in 18 matches across all competitions this term.
The Blues squad includes two quality options per position, especially in the attacking third of the pitch. It means that head coach Enzo Maresca can’t give all the high-profile forwards the minutes they necessarily deserve.
Steve Cooper applauds Chelsea star Cole Palmer
Leicester manager Cooper did give some high praise to Chelsea’s Cole Palmer when asked about the opposition player during Thursday’s pre-match press conference.
He acknowledged that the 22-year-old Blues attacker is an obvious threat to his side this weekend.
When asked about Chelsea star Palmer, Cooper said via Leicester’s official YouTube channel: “The numbers that you just mentioned and the performances to back them up have shown the level that he’s playing at.
“We are aware of that, the threat that he can have and the impact that he’s constantly having in games. But that’s the Premier League. You come up against these teams and these talents week in and week out, really. We have to be aware of it, of course.”
In terms of the Premier League, Palmer has the highest rated individual performance this season following the four-goal display against Brighton back in September. It’s the latest in the long list of spectacular things he’s done since joining the Blues from Manchester City in the summer of 2023.
Palmer has been working on finding more space under Maresca, which is a scary thought for opposition teams.
Is Cole Palmer fit to play Leicester?
Palmer did immediately withdraw from international duty with England during this month’s international break, so supporters may be wondering if he’s available to face Leicester on Saturday.
During Thursday’s pre-match press conference, Maresca was pretty vague when it came to potential injuries.
Reece James was the only Chelsea player categorically ruled out for the Leicester match, while it’s a case of wait and see for others.
Hopefully, Palmer is fully fit for the weekend to continue his streak of starting every league match so far this season.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 11 | 7 | 5 |
As mentioned above, if Palmer is fit to start for Chelsea at the King Power Stadium, Leicester will need to be on their gaurd.
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