Cole Palmer, Reece James, and Malo Gusto were absent from Chelsea’s squad for the FA Cup match against Charlton as a precaution after picking up minor knocks, as confirmed by new head coach Liam Rosenior. The trio were not involved in Chelsea’s 5-1 victory at the Valley on Saturday night, which secured their place in the FA Cup fourth round and marked Rosenior’s first match in charge.

All three players had started in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage on Wednesday under caretaker manager Calum McFarlane. Following the match, Rosenior explained their exclusion, stating, “Malo, Cole, and Reece were precautionary today. I don’t want to take any risks at this stage of the season. They had minor tweaks or knocks from the Fulham game, and I feel like I’ve got such a good squad here, I don’t need to risk their health at the moment.”

Rosenior emphasized the importance of the upcoming matches, including the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal on Wednesday and the Premier League match against Brentford on Saturday. He added that he would assess the players’ conditions further after reviewing the medical reports.