Aston Villavs.Chelsea

The England international was absent from the Blues' most-recent fixture on Tuesday night, when the West Londoners made the trip across the capital to face Arsenal.

Without the presence of their leading goalscorer, Chelsea suffered a heavy defeat at the home of Mikel Arteta's Gunners, who are hunting down a first Premier League title in two decades.

Leandro Trossard's early strike meant that Arsenal went into the half-time break a goal up, before those in attendance witnessed a second-period capitulation from the visitors.

Right-back Ben White and former Chelsea man Kai Havertz both managed to bag braces in the second half, leaving Mauricio Pochettino's side with no chance of earning any points from the contest.

Chelsea's Palmer back in training ahead of Villa trip

Following Tuesday's harrowing defeat at the Emirates, there has been some positive news for Chelsea regarding the fitness of a first-team star.

After missing the trip to North London, Palmer has been pictured back in training with his Blues teammates ahead of the match at Unai Emery's Aston Villa on Saturday.

The Second City club are enjoying a productive campaign so far and are close to securing a spot in the Champions League ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

The Villans are also fighting on the continental stage during the final weeks of the term, with a Europa Conference League semi-final against Olympiacos scheduled for the start of May.

It is currently unclear whether Palmer will be fit to start the Villa Park contest, however Chelsea boss Pochettino is likely to provide an update on the attacker during Friday's pre-match media conference.

'Cole Palmer Football Club'

Ahead of Chelsea's trip to London rivals Arsenal, head coach Pochettino pushed his available players to prove that they do not play for 'Cole Palmer Football Club'.

Those in blue at the Emirates on Tuesday did little to beat those allegations, suffering their heaviest defeat to the Gunners and the club's worst in a London derby since the 1980s.

Since moving from Manchester City in the summer, Palmer has undoubtedly been the standout performer for a side who are going through their poorest spell in the Premier League era.

The 21-year-old has found the net on 20 occasions and provided nine assists in 29 top-flight appearances so far, with only Erling Haaland managing to match Palmer's goalscoring numbers in the league.