Chelsea forward Cole Palmer will miss the Blues’ Carabao Cup quarter final clash with Cardiff City, head coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed.

The tie is scheduled for Tuesday evening in Cardiff, with kickoff set for 8 pm and a semi final spot on the line.

Palmer only recently returned from a spell on the sidelines after battling groin and toe problems, marking his comeback by scoring in Chelsea’s weekend win over Everton at Stamford Bridge.

Speaking at his pre match press conference on Monday, Maresca explained that the club is taking a cautious approach with the attacker to prevent further strain.

“I’ve already said many times in press conferences that we have many players who need to be protected. Cole is one of the players who deserves to be protected right now. In this moment, he’s not available to play two games in three days. So, he won’t be available for tomorrow’s game, but should be fine for the weekend,” Maresca said.

The Chelsea boss also warned of the threat posed by Cardiff and praised their coach, Brian Murphy, ahead of the encounter.

“They are top of the league, playing nice football and winning games. I know Brian and know he is doing a good job. This will be a dangerous game for us, and we need to pay attention and be careful tomorrow. We have the opportunity to achieve something important, which is to reach the semi-final of this competition.”

Chelsea will be aiming to book a place in the last four of the competition while managing workloads as they balance domestic cup ambitions with their Premier League commitments.