Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca confirms Cole Palmer and Liam Delap returns immanent

The Blues faced concerns over Delap after the striker injured his shoulder during the Premier League win over Bournemouth. Initial reports suggested he could be sidelined until February, but Maresca confirmed the problem was not as serious as first feared.

Maresca told reporters: "Liam fortunately is not any fracture, so that is good news."

Chelsea travel to Italy on Tuesday needing a strong result to tighten their grip on a top-eight place in the Champions League league phase. While Delap will miss the Atalanta game, the absence is now expected to be shorter than first anticipated.

Palmer, meanwhile, did not take part in Monday's training session after recently returning from groin and toe issues. Maresca explained the club had deliberately planned his workload to avoid a setback.

The Chelsea head coach said: "Cole is part of his process in this moment, he's not available, he can't play two games in a row in three days. So we've planned that and it's just a way to protect him."

There was further encouragement for Chelsea fans as Maresca confirmed Wesley Fofana and Reece James were both in contention to feature, despite their fitness being closely managed throughout the campaign.

Rotation looks likely, with Chelsea facing a heavy schedule that includes an EFL Cup quarter-final against Cardiff City next week. The club have played four times since 30 November, and changes are expected.

Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez have started Chelsea's recent Premier League matches against Arsenal, Leeds United and Bournemouth and are among those likely to be rested. Josh Acheampong, Jorrel Hato and Andrey Santos have been identified as possible starters.

READ MORE: Tito not shocked by AFCON omission