Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo is now at high risk of missing some important Premier League fixtures due to suspension.
The 23-year-old was booked for a fourth straight match in the 4-0 victory over Southampton on Tuesday night, taking his Premier League tally to nine for the season.
Caicedo avoided picking up a one-match ban for five yellows as his fifth came in the win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on gameweek 22, which is after the cutoff point where that offence is no longer punishable with suspension.
However, the cards have now piled up for the Ecuadorian international, and another silly one while the Blues were in complete control against the Saints in midweek leaves him vulnerable to a two-match ban.
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Caicedo to miss Arsenal, Spurs clashes?
If Caicedo is to pick up another booking in their home clash against Leicester City on March 9, he will then be ruled out of their enticing all-London affairs against Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
A ban looks very likely at some point in the season for the midfielder, because Chelsea will play another five Premier League games before the window ends for suspension for 10 yellow cards.
That will be on gameweek 32, when Chelsea face Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge, but with the battle for the Champions League places so tight, manager Enzo Maresca cannot afford to stifle Caicedo's style of play, or to protect him by leaving him out of the starting XI.
With tricky trips across West London to Brentford and Fulham on the horizon in April too, Caicedo's potential absence would be notable, and Chelsea need their best possible XI available to them, given their current predicament.
Maresca's side did briefly move back into the top four on Tuesday, but Manchester City overtook them courtesy of a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur 24 hours later.
The race for the top-five is devilishly tight, with any dropped points set to be costly, as just six points separate third and 10th.
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How likely is a two-match ban for Caicedo?
Will Hughes became the first Premier League player to amass 10 Premier League bookings this season when he was yellow carded against Aston Villa, and the Crystal Palace midfielder will now miss their next two matches.
If the last two Premier League seasons are anything to go by, then Caicedo is set to join him, as he has received a double-figure tally of yellow cards in both.
In his final season at Brighton in 2022-23 Caicedo picked up 10 in the league and 12 in all competitions, while he collected 11 in his debut league season at Chelsea last year, and a further three in cup competitions.
Caicedo has played all 27 Premier League games for Chelsea so far this season, and, injury permitting, will do so again against Leicester, but he now knows he must watch his step carefully.
Andrew Delaney
