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EPL Maja Hitij / Getty Images Chelsea expect Cole Palmer to be sidelined until November following a club meeting about his groin injury. Palmer, 23, is set to miss Chelsea’s return to action after the international break at Nottingham Forest on October 18, as well as the home game against Ajax in the Champions League, the visit of Sunderland in the Premier League and the trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup fourth round. Advertisement The England international aggravated the injury, which also ruled him out of two games in August, during Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on September 20. Club sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, indicated he remains a number of weeks away from a return. Enzo Maresca, the Chelsea head coach, initially hoped he would only miss the Premier League games at home to Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool as well as the Champions League fixture against Benfica, but has insisted Palmer will not need surgery. Chelsea were beaten 3-1 by Brighton in their first top-flight match after Palmer’s setback but have since beaten Benfica 1-0 in the Champions League league phase and defeated Liverpool 2-1 win in the Premier League last weekend. Palmer has featured four times in all competitions this season, scoring twice. “I don’t think he needs surgery, it is just about managing the pain in his groin, ” Maresca told a press conference before the international break. “With the amount of games it is something that can happen, it is the reason why we are trying to be a little more conservative with him. “We said that with Cole we are a better team but we also said we need to play games without him. We are going to find a solution. We are not going to play with 10 players for sure! We will find a different solution. ” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Simon Johnson has spent the majority of his career as a sports reporter since 2000 covering Chelsea, firstly for Hayters and then the London Evening Standard. This included going to every game home and away as the west London club secured the Champions League in 2012. He has also reported on the England national team between 2008-19 and been a regular contributor to talk SPORT radio station for over a decade. Follow Simon on Twitter @SJohnson Sport