Chelsea have been handed a huge blow in their pursuit of the Club World Cup trophy after Moises Caicedo was ruled out of their potential quarter-final clash with Palmeiras.
The Blues look set to make it through to the last eight of the competition in the United States of America, leading 1-0 in their last 16 clash with Benfica in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Reece James gave Enzo Maresca's side the lead midway through the second half with a clevely taken free-kick, catching Benfica keeper Anatoliy Trubin unawares, whipping his left-wing free-kick in at the keeper's near post having looked like he would cross it.
But it was not all good news as soon after opening the scoring, influential midfielder Caicedo picked up a yellow card - his second of the tournament - meaning he will miss the next match. That could lead to a rare chance for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
It only takes two yellows to get a suspension in the FIFA tournament, with bookings wiped out after the quarter-final stage.
Chelsea had gone into the clash with Benfica with six players walking a suspension tightrope. Reece James, Marc Cucurella, Caicedo, Tosin Adarabioyo, Liam Delap and Pedro Neto were all on one booking already going into the game.
Those five other players will go into the Palmeiras clash knowing that they cannot afford another booking or they will miss a potential semi-final encounter, which could be against Premier League rivals Manchester City.
Chelsea did get some good news prior to kick-off in the States with the Blues agreeing a £55million deal with Borussia Dortmund to sign top left-wing target Jamie Gittens.
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Club World Cup on DAZN
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The FIFA Club World Cup will see 32 of the world's best club teams including Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, PSG andBayern Munich play across 63 games from June 14-July 13.
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