Palmer, Adarabioyo & Acheampong: Latest Chelsea injury news and expected return dates after Liverpool

Chelsea’s last gasp win over Liverpool should send the Blues into the October international break with a spring in their step – but Saturday’s victory may have come at a cost, with two more players potentially added to a growing list of injury worries.

Defenders Josh Acheampong and Benoît Badiashile were both substituted in the second half nursing apparent knocks and could join Cole Palmer and six other first-team players in the treatment room.

We’ve got the latest updates on all of Chelsea’s stricken players below ahead of the break, along with their expected return dates when available.

When will Cole Palmer be back for Chelsea?

Palmer has missed four of Chelsea’s last six Premier League matches with a persistent groin injury and was again unavailable for the match against Liverpool – and it remains unclear whether he will be back immediately after the break for Chelsea’s game against Nottingham Forest on 18 October.

Ahead of Saturday’s match, head coach Enzo Maresca told the media that he “didn’t have any update” on the timeline for Palmer’s comeback and that the attacking midfielder, who has not been included in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, would meet with the club’s medical staff this week as next steps were discussed.

It does at least appear that Palmer avoided any further aggravation of the injury when team-mate Jorrel Hato celebrated the defeat of Liverpool by jumping on Palmer after the game, which appeared to cause the 23-year-old some discomfort – fortunately, he shook it off and was laughing and smiling a few moments after Hato’s rather concerning lapse of concentration.

Another midfielder who is a doubt for the Nottingham Forest match is Andrey Santos. The young Brazilian missed the midweek match against Benfica and the win over Liverpool. Maresca confirmed that he would be out until after the international break, but not whether he was likely to be ready for the trip to the City Ground.

Tosin Adarabioyo, Josh Acheampong and Benoît Badiashile among defensive doubts

While Palmer is the biggest name on Chelsea’s injury list, their biggest worries may be at the back with a host of players out for the win over Liverpool – and the issue was compounded when both Acheampong and Badiashile had to be taken off in the second half.

The good news is that neither are believed to have sustained serious injuries, with assistant manager Willy Caballero – standing in for Maresca in interviews after the Italian was sent off for his celebrations of the winning goal – telling the media that both players were withdrawn for purposes of “prevention.”

“We spoke with them already and they said that they are okay,” Caballero continued, suggesting that both defenders should be available for the Forest match in 12 days’ time. The same should be true for Tosin Adarabioyo, who was sidelined by a minor calf injury and is expected to be back within the fortnight. Wesley Fofana should also be clear to return from concussion protocols after a head injury.

One defender who certainly won’t be available is Levi Colwill, whose ACL injury will cause him to miss most or all of the season. Two other long-term absentees are Liam Delap (hamstring), who is expected back in late November, and Dário Essugo (thigh), who will return in January.