Yellow Card Woes; Chelsea’s Key Players Risk Suspension Ahead of Crucial Fixtures
Chelsea will face Burnley as we return to the Premier League after what seemed like a very long international break. The Blues will host Vincent Kompany’s side, and Mauricio Pochettino will hope for a final push to make a shout for potential European places going into the business end of the season.
Burnley are relatively struggling to replicate their Championship form in the Premier League, and this, at least on the books, is a must-win game for the hosts.
For Chelsea, all players will come in handy and important if they are to salvage anything out of the season. That is where concerns commence for Todd Boehly & Co., as multiple players are at risk of suspensions going into Saturday’s kickoff.
The Yellow Card concern
Nicolas Jackson will have to watch his feet against Burnely, as the 22-year-old centre-forward has accumulated a tally of nine yellow cards this season and is only one booking away from a two-game suspension. According to the Premier League rules, any player booked ten times in the club’s first 32 Premier League matches of the season will be suspended for two games.
Burnley will be Chelsea’s 28th game of the ongoing campaign, and this means Nikolas Jackson will have to look over his shoulders for the next five games to avoid suspension.
Alongside the Senegalese, Chelsea summer singing Moises Caicedo is also at risk of a two-game suspension as he has been booked eight times this season. While Cole Palmer is approaching the ten with a seven-yellow tally.
Chelsea play Arsenal in a London Derby on April 23 at the Emirates Stadium in the Blues’ 32nd game of the Premier League season, which will be the cut-off for two-match suspension risk. Three days before their trip to North London, Chelsea travel to Wembley Stadium to face Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final.
Mauricio Pochettino & Co. face Everton at home before the two fixtures, and if any of Jackson, Caicedo, Palmer, or any other Chelsea player were to pick their 10th yellow card of the season, they would miss both, the Arsenal away fixture and the trip to Villa Park, as the suspension would not carry over to the FA Cup.
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All three players need to be careful about not picking up any unnecessary bookings in the upcoming games if Chelsea want to go deep into aiming for European qualification.