- Chelsea face Premier League rivals Man City in a pre-season friendly on Saturday
- Blues have endured some difficulties during their United States tour
- Star forward Cole Palmer is unavailable for the clash with his former club
Having endured a tumultuous start to his Chelsea career, Enzo Maresca faces his toughest test on Saturday evening.
It may simply be a friendly but Chelsea's new boss will take on the best side in English football: Manchester City. Having drawn with League One side Wrexham and been humbled by Celtic on their pre-season tour of the United States to date, the Italian may not be relishing a clash with Pep Guardiola's relentless Cityzens.
To make things all the more challenging, Maresca will have to cope without the influential Cole Palmer for Saturday's battle in Ohio. The young forward saved Chelsea's season in 2023/24 with a remarkable supply of goals and assists but he is yet to join up with his club-mates for the start of a new era under the former Leicester City boss.
Here's why Palmer won't feature against his former employers Man City in North America.
Why Cole Palmer won't play against Man City
Chelsea's shining light last season, Palmer is still yet to report for pre-season duty in west London. That's due to the fact that he's recovering from his excursions with England this summer, reaching the Euro 2024 final in Germany. Despite scoring in the showpiece event, he tasted defeat at the hands of Chelsea teammate Marc Cucurella and his Spain side.
Palmer won't feature in the remainder of Chelsea's US tour, with their final game coming against Real Madrid next Wednesday. The 22-year-old is in line to return to first-team action on 11 August when the Blues face Serie A champions Inter in a friendly at Stamford Bridge, with the first Premier League match of the season coming a week later against, somewhat ironically, Man City.
Who else is missing for Chelsea against Man City?
For the same reason as Palmer, Chelsea left-back Cucurella will be unavailable on Saturday. The Spaniard was a key performer for La Roja as they won a record fourth European Championship over the summer.
Conor Gallagher was also part of the England squad that made the Euro 2024 final and is still on holiday. However, the midfielder is set to leave Chelsea this summer and may even be forced to train away from the first team should he reject an approach from Spanish side Atletico Madrid.
The likes of Trevoh Chalobah and Kepa Arrizabalaga have been omitted from the US tour as Chelsea attempt to push them out the exit door. Djordje Petrovic has missed out due to injury, although there are question marks regarding his future, particularly after the signing of goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen.
Despite winning the Copa America this summer, Enzo Fernandez has already joined up with Maresca's squad in North America.
