Liam Rosenior coach of Chelsea FC during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD8 match between SSC Napoli and Chelsea FC at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on January 28, 2026 in Naples, Italy.
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior (Image credit: Ivan Romano/Getty Images)
Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea
Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea (Image credit: Getty Images)
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.
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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.
Moises Caicedo of Chelsea celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Chelsea FC at Old Trafford on November 03, 2024 in Manchester, England.
Moises Caicedo of Chelsea celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Chelsea FC at Old Trafford on November 03, 2024 in Manchester, England.
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.