Why £200m Chelsea duo could miss Manchester City and Manchester United showdowns

Chelsea won 4-1 at Villa Park on Wednesday to further squeeze the group of teams scrapping it out for Champions League places.

The Blues closed the gap between themselves and fourth-placed Villa in the Premier League table to just three points, and while fifth is likely to secure a spot in the Champions League, Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior will be desperate to take that impetus into the big matches ahead.

Ill discipline was the main talking point before Chelsea’s comfortable midweek win. Rosenior himself addressed the issue, which was highlighted by Pedro Neto’s red card against Arsenal and subsequent unavailability against Villa.

Chelsea facing suspension threat against key rivals

Joao Pedro’s hat-trick stole the show but lurking in the second half was a moment that could come back to bite the Blues. Vice captain Enzo Fernandez became the second Chelsea player after the Brazilian goal-getter to find his way into the notebook of referee Jarred Gillett.

It was a yellow card that’s typical of this particular Chelsea problem. Villa were infuriated that a free kick was given against Morgan Rogers when they felt it should have been awarded the other way, yet it was Fernandez who was booked for dissent.

Fernandez’s eighth yellow card of the season presents Rosenior with a potential challenge in midfield. Having joined teammate Moises Caicedo on eight bookings, the Argentinian is now also at risk of being hit with a two-match suspension.

Premier League players who reach 10 yellow cards before the end of their team’s 32nd fixture serve a two-game ban. There are currently four players on nine yellow cards – three of them play for Wolverhampton Wanderers – and nine who are two cautions away from a ban.

Fernandez and Caicedo, who is ranked at no.4 in FourFourTwo's list of the best defensive midfielders in the world right now, must avoid further yellow cards in the next three matches in order to enjoy a clean slate from the middle of April, but the worst-case scenario would be bookings for both in each of the next two fixtures.

Chelsea’s next two matches against Newcastle United and Everton will be their 30th and 31st Premier League matches of the season. A theoretical two-game suspension for Fernandez, Caicedo or both would leave Rosenior without them for the following matches, against Manchester City and Manchester United.

Should either of the midfielders pick up one booking against Newcastle or Everton and another against Man City, he would sit out against United and then Brighton & Hove Albion in the last league game in April.

Chelsea’s forthcoming fixtures are all important in the context of the Champions League fight but there’s always a little bit extra on the games against teams near the top of the table.

Man City are still chasing Arsenal in the title race but the focus for United, Chelsea, Villa and Liverpool is to finish in the top five.

Chelsea are three points behind Villa and Man United and their meeting at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, April 18 has all the makings of a six-pointer. Rosenior will want his best possible team available, so it’ll be worth keeping an eye on his line-ups in the coming weeks.