Chelsea defenders Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana will be walking a tightrope when the Blues face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday (October 6). Both members of Enzo Maresca's back four are a yellow card away from a one-match ban.
The pair have already racked up four bookings each in the first six matches of the 2024/25 campaign. Any player who receives five yellow cards on or up to match week 19 is suspended for a game.
Should either of the two pick up another booking in the west Londoners' weekend clash, they would miss out on the first match after the international break. That would be a huge loss for the Blues, given they travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on October 20.
So far this season, Cucurella has been the preferred option at left-back, having started all of his team's English top-flight matches. He's seen off competition from the likes of Ben Chilwell and Renato Veiga to secure himself minutes.
Meanwhile, Fofana is also an incredibly important central defender who has started every single Premier League match this season. The France international would not want to miss games after he was forced out of 51 matches across competitions in the 2023/24 campaign due to an ACL injury.
Moreover, Chelsea have been in fine form recently, winning their last five matches in all competitions. In the league, they're placed fourth and could reduce the deficit to two points between themselves and toppers Liverpool if they manage to beat Nottingham Forest.
Atletico Madrid hold keen interest in signing Chelsea left-back - Reports
Spanish giants Atletico Madrid are reportedly looking to sign Ben Chilwell, who would reunite with former Blues teammate Conor Gallagher. This is as per journalist Ekrem Konur, who says that the west London side will receive offers for the defender in January (via TeamTalk).
The English full-back has struggled with fitness of late and now finds himself behind Marc Cucurella for a starting spot in his position. Moreover, his only appearance in the current campaign has been a 45-minute runout in the Carabao Cup.
Chilwell still has three years left on his contract at Stamford Bridge and could cost a decent sum. However, they could sell for less given his departure wouldn't be a huge loss for Enzo Maresca, who can also turn to Levi Colwill to play at left-back.
To date, the former Leicester City man has made 107 appearances across competitions for Chelsea, bagging nine goals and 12 assists.