There was very little refereeing drama for Calum McFarlane to worry about in the first of his likely two games in charge of the Chelsea first team.
The Blues nicked a draw against Manchester City at the weekend thanks to Enzo Fernandez’s last goal, with plenty of credit being given to the interim boss for the magnitude of the result.
While the trip to the Etihad will have been seen as a free hit at the end of a chaotic week at Stamford Bridge, the West London derby presents a game where the Blues need to be targeting all three points to stay on track this season.
Liam Rosenior is expected to be in the stands to watch after officially being announced as the new Chelsea manager.
Peter Bankes talks to Marc Cucurella
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
The Chelsea Chronicle have predicted six changes to the starting side, including a return for Wesley Fofana and Robert Sanchez after illness and injury kept them out of the last game.
The Premier League have announced that Peter Bankes will be the referee for the derby match, with Eddie Smart and Blake Antrobus as his assistants.
Ever popular amongst Chelsea fans, Anthony Taylor will be the fourth official, while John Brooks will be in charge of VAR at Craven Cottage.
Bankes has taken charge of 13 competitive Chelsea games, with the Blues coming out on top in eight of those.
However, fortunes of late have normally involved some sort of refereeing drama, normally at the expense of the Blues.
Referee Peter Bankes shows a red card to Marc Cucurella of Chelsea
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Bankes has given out two red cards in his last three Chelsea games
Sanchez may be one of those returning to the Chelsea side, but he will have to be on his best behaviour after getting no sympathy from the English referee late in 2025.
The goalkeeper was sent off by Bankes just minutes into their game against Manchester United, costing them the chance at winning and breaking their duck at Old Trafford.
The game before that saw the Blues beat Brentford 2-1 in the 2024/25 season, where Marc Cucurella was sent off at full-time.
This saw him absent for the upcoming game against Everton, the start of a five-game run without a win under Enzo Maresca.
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