McFarlane and Chelsea have 'full belief' in Palmer after England snub

Calum McFarlane says Chelsea have "full belief" in Cole Palmer after the midfielder was left out of Thomas Tuchel's England World Cup squad.

Palmer has had a quiet season by his standards since joining Chelsea, having endured an injury-riddled campaign, but he has still managed 10 goals and three assists in 33 matches across all competitions since the Club World Cup.

He was one of a few big names not picked by Tuchel, but McFarlane says he expects Palmer to take the decision in his stride and continue to improve.

"I don't want to comment on that, it's nothing to do with me," he said.

"The England manager has made his decision. We have full belief in Cole Palmer. I think in life and in football, you need to take every setback as a positive."

McFarlane will take charge for the final time against Sunderland on Sunday, with Chelsea still having the chance to secure European football for next season after bouncing back from their FA Cup defeat to Manchester City by beating Tottenham 2-1 on Tuesday.

The Blues currently occupy eighth – the Conference League spot – but a win could take them up to seventh and into the Europa League, if Brighton lose to Manchester United. A loss could see them drop out altogether.

And Sunderland are also not out of the European race despite sitting 10th, as they are just one point behind Chelsea.

A win for Sunderland could be enough, but they will also need favours from elsewhere, with Brentford also sitting above them. A Black Cats victory, coupled with losses for the Bees and Brighton, would lift them to seventh.

"At the minute we have 51 points, an opportunity to get three more points to reach 54, which is impressive for the first season back in the Premier League after eight years away," Le Bris said.

"We played good football, we respected the identity, we grew, we learned, we improved, we struggled at times as well, which is normal in that league.

"We'll have an opportunity to get three more points, and if the planets align elsewhere, maybe something exceptional can happen, but it's not fully in our hands."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sunderland – Granit Xhaka

No Sunderland player has more Premier League assists than Granit Xhaka this season (six), while only in 2017-18 and 2022-23 (both seven) has he provided more.

The Swiss midfielder also provided two assists in his last home game against Chelsea (with Arsenal in May 2023).

Chelsea – Joao Pedro

Joao Pedro has been involved in seven goals in his last nine Premier League appearances (six goals, one assist)

He has also scored in both of his last two league games against promoted opposition.