Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that he is not surprised to see Cole Palmer establish himself as a "star player" for Chelsea following his transfer from the Etihad Stadium last summer.
Palmer decided to end his 15-year association with the Citizens and make a reported £45m switch to Chelsea in search of regular first-team football, and he has since excelled for Mauricio Pochettino's side this season.
The 21-year-old is Chelsea's top scorer in all competitions so far this term with 12 goals in 28 appearances, including 10 strikes in 21 Premier League games.
Palmer has also registered nine assists for the Blues while operating as either an advanced midfielder or a false nine.
Chelsea's new No.20 was named Man of the Match in the reverse fixture against Man City three months ago after coolly converting a 95th-minute penalty to rescue a point for the West Londoners in a pulsating 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge.
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Palmer is set to return to the Etihad Stadium for the first time since leaving Man City when Chelsea lock horns with the reigning Premier League champions on Saturday evening, and ahead of the contest, Guardiola has heaped praise on the youngster's impact at his new club.
"Cole is exceptional," Guardiola said at a press conference on Friday. "If he plays regularly, yes [I knew he would perform well]. I didn't have any doubts about his quality.
"The way he's playing is a star player. He wanted the minutes, it was a question of time to show his immense quality. He is a lovely lad, he helped us to achieve what we achieve, and of course I wish him well at Chelsea."
Earlier this week, Palmer expressed his excitement about returning to the Etihad, telling reporters: "It will be a tough game but I'm looking forward to going back.
"It will be strange, a weird feeling, but I'm looking forward to it. I'm very excited to be honest, even though it will be strange."
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Man City are unbeaten in each of their last seven meetings with Chelsea since losing in the 2021 Champions League final, but Guardiola is expecting another difficult encounter with Pochettino's side this weekend.
"[Chelsea] are an exceptional team in all departments," said the Catalan boss. "It is one of the toughest games we have until the end of the season.
"They've been playing really, really good in the last few games. They have everything. The intensity, the quality. They're a really good team – It'll be tough tomorrow."
While Chelsea are bidding to win a third successive away game and boost their hopes of securing a top-seven finish, Man City will attempt to close what could be a five-point gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool if they beat Brentford in Saturday's lunchtime kickoff.
Guardiola has confirmed that Jack Grealish and Josko Gvardiol are both ruled out with injuries, while Bernardo Silva is set to have an ankle problem assessed in training on Friday.
Oliver Thomas
