Mauricio Pochettino has revealed he will decide who the penalty taker is when he picks his starting line-up against Arsenal if Cole Palmer is unavailable.
The 21-year-old is a doubt for tonight’s game at the Emirates having suffered with illness following the FA Cup semi final defeat to Manchester City last weekend.
Palmer’s absence would be a huge blow to Chelsea, who have been reliant on the forward for much of the season.
The England international is currently top of the scoring charts with ex-team-mate Erling Haaland on 20 Premier League goals.
One area where the former City man has excelled is from the penalty spot, converting all nine of his spot kicks for the club.
Given the debacle which occurred against Everton, Pochettino was asked who would be Chelsea’s penalty taker in Palmer’s absence.
“I will decide when I pick the starting XI but we have players like Noni Madueke, [Conor] Gallagher, [Enzo] Fernández or even Jackson that can shoot”, the Argentine told The Guardian.
“It will depend. Of course, there is [Mykhailo] Mudryk.”
Madueke scored from the spot against Crystal Palace, while Fernandez has a mixed record having scored against Brighton but missed against West Ham.
Both Gallagher and Mudryk scored in the penalty shootout win against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup.
It’s not just Palmer’s potential absence Pochettino has to contend with as Ben Chilwell and Malo Gusto are both out through injury, meaning the 52-year-old will have to shuffle his backline.
The Blues head to north London sitting ninth in the Premier League knowing a win would see them move up to seventh, behind Newcaslte on goal difference, and ahead of Manchester United in the race for Europa League qualification.
There will be added motivation for Chelsea knowing victory will almost certainly end the Gunner’s title hopes for a second consecutive year.
