Why Is Cole Palmer Not Playing In Cardiff City vs Chelsea?

Chelsea look to march their way into the semifinals of the 2025/26 Carabao Cup as they face off against Cardiff City in what should be a tricky quarterfinal clash at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday, 16 December 2025. However, Enzo Maresca will need to make some bold decisions for the game and there are a lot of questions over is Cole Palmer playing today. Below, we look at Is Cole Palmer playing for Chelsea today in the upcoming clash against Cardiff City.

Is Cole Palmer Playing For Chelsea Today Vs Cardiff City?

Cole Palmer starred in Chelsea's recent win over Everton in the Premier League, scoring his second goal of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign. However, when it comes to Is Cole Palmer playing today, there might be some bad news for his fans. That is because Enzo Maresca has already given his answer for Is Cole Palmer playing for Chelsea today in the Carabao Cup clash against Cardiff City.

When asked about Is Cole Palmer playing today, Enzo Maresca basically stated that the English star will be rested for the Carabao Cup quarterfinal against Cardiff City. Upon being questioned on Is Cole Palmer Playing for Chelsea today, the gaffer stated: “I’ve already said many times in plenty of press conferences that we have several players that need to be protected. The target is to protect them and manage them. Cole [Palmer] is one of the players who deserves to be protected right now.” Hence, it's been basically confirmed about Is Cole Palmer playing today, that the Englishman is not going to feature in the Chelsea vs Cardiff City clash in the Carabao Cup.

How Has Cole Palmer Performed For Chelsea In 2025/26 Season?

Cole Palmer has had a pretty eventful 2025/26 season for Chelsea. He had a difficult start to the campaign for the Blues, featuring in their first few matches of the season before certain groin problems started plaguing him. After being substituted in Chelsea's 2-1 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford, Palmer was diagnosed with a nasty groin injury that forced him to miss six Premier League matches and a few UEFA Champions League games, too.

Palmer also suffered a broken toe during the final stages of his groin injury recovery, which forced him to miss a few games, including Chelsea's win over Barcelona in the Champions League. However, the Englishman is now back to full fitness, and Enzo Maresca is looking to ensure that he doesn't trigger another injury setback.

Palmer scored in Chelsea's recent 2-0 win over Everton, but has been substituted before the hour mark in the last two Premier League matches. A key reason for Cole Palmer not playing against Cardiff City is that the club are trying to stabilize his workload and ensure he doesn't get overworked and pick up another injury anytime soon. Palmer has made just seven appearances in the 2025/26 campaign for the Blues, scoring three goals across all competitions.