Chelsea have confirmed that Ballon d’Or nominee Cole Palmer will not be part of the squad travelling to Bergamo, as the club continues to carefully manage his game time following his recent injury comeback, according to Yahoo Sports.
The Blues face Atalanta at the New Balance Arena on Tuesday night in their sixth Champions League fixture of the campaign, the final European outing before the end of the calendar year.
Both sides head into the clash tied on 10 points, having each recorded three wins, one draw and one defeat.
Chelsea currently sit seventh in the overall Champions League standings, with Sporting CP and Manchester City placed between them and Atalanta.
Raffaele Palladino’s team will gain a slight advantage with Palmer ruled out of the trip, meaning Enzo Maresca must set up without one of his most influential players.
The England star, who ranked eighth in this year’s Ballon d’Or voting, only recently returned to action after a groin injury sidelined him for nearly two months from late September to late November.
Although he has appeared in Chelsea’s last two Premier League matches, the club has opted against risking him in Europe, confirming he did not travel and will not feature on Tuesday.
However, Palmer is expected to remain available for the upcoming league fixture against Everton.
