Why Palmer and Pedro are out of Chelsea vs Brighton

Why Palmer and Pedro are out of Chelsea vs Brighton

Both Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro have been left out of the Chelsea matchday squad to face Brighton on Tuesday.

It is a massive blow to the Blues, who are seven points off the top five and in danger of missing out on Champions League qualification after losing four straight games.

Liam Delap retains his spot up front in place of Pedro, while Romeo Lavia and Trevoh Chalobah both come into the starting lineup. Estevao Willian has been ruled out by a hamstring injury he sustained against Manchester United.

Why Palmer and Pedro are out of Chelsea vs Brighton

Palmer has been sidelined by a hamstring issue of his own and faces a race against time to be fit for this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United.

“Cole’s had some tightness in his hamstring which he’s been carrying for a while,” said Rosenior told Sky Sports ahead of kickoff.

“So he’s going to be out for this game and we’ll see how he moves on for this FA Cup semi-final.”

Pedro, , returned to training on Monday but this match came too soon for him. But Rosenior confirmed he will be fit to face Leeds on Sunday.