‎Moises Caicedo Banned for Man City Showdown After Early Yellow Card in Bournemouth Clash

‎Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo has sparked criticism after earning his fifth yellow card of the Premier League campaign only minutes into Tuesday night’s meeting with Bournemouth. The caution automatically triggers a one-game suspension, meaning the Ecuador international will be unavailable for Chelsea’s upcoming high-profile fixture against Manchester City, much to the frustration of Blues supporters.

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‎Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo will miss the Premier League clash with Manchester City after receiving his fifth yellow card of the season just minutes into the Bournemouth match.

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‎Caicedo set to miss Manchester City encounter

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‎Selected in Chelsea’s starting lineup against Bournemouth, Caicedo wasted little time making an impact, though not in the way he would have wanted. Just four minutes after kick-off, the midfielder was booked for a foul on Adrien Truffert. That booking proved costly, as it reached the threshold for suspension and rules him out of Chelsea’s next league match, a crucial trip to the Etihad Stadium to face title contenders Manchester City on Sunday.

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‎The absence of Caicedo represents a significant setback for Enzo Maresca. The midfielder has been a central figure for Chelsea this season and has featured regularly, making his enforced absence at such a key moment particularly damaging for the Blues.

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‎Chelsea supporters react angrily

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‎The early yellow card and resulting suspension did not sit well with Chelsea fans, many of whom voiced their anger online after realizing Caicedo would miss such a vital fixture.

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‎One supporter, @theshedend2, wrote on X: “Caicedo man are you stupid?” Another fan, @Drayco196, added: “Caicedo had to have known he was on the brink of suspension. What a stupid yellow card to receive. Now he'll miss the city match. Stupid stupid stupid.”

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‎Maresca rejects claims of discipline issues

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‎Caicedo’s ban adds to a growing list of disciplinary incidents for Chelsea this season. Joao Pedro, Trevoh Chalobah, Robert Sanchez, Moises Caicedo, Liam Delap and Malo Gusto have all been sent off during the campaign, while head coach Enzo Maresca has also served a touchline suspension.

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‎Despite this record, Maresca has played down suggestions that Chelsea have a discipline problem. Speaking to reporters, he explained that he remains proud of his squad and believes their age and development must be considered.

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‎“Listen, the club this morning showed me a comment from some of you that said the team reflect the manager and I'm very proud of that,” Maresca said. “Because of the way the team is doing. The youngest squad in the Premier League. You also have to allow them some mistakes in terms of growing. I think, yes, we have yellow cards, yes, we had some red cards, but I like to analyse different situations. For sure, it's something we can do better.”

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‎Caicedo praised as among the very best

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‎Even with the suspension, Caicedo’s importance to Chelsea is not in doubt. Maresca has previously highlighted the midfielder’s quality, describing him as one of the best in the world in his position.

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‎In November, the Chelsea boss said: “Moi, I think he's showing how good he is. He's top, I said many times, the best thing from Moi for sure, we judge him inside the pitch, but he's so humble, he's so good guy, he's always there to help everyone. For me, him and [Manchester City's] Rodri, in this moment they are the two best defending midfielders in the world.”

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‎A challenging period ahead for Chelsea

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‎Maresca must now prepare his side for a daunting test against Manchester City without Caicedo, marking a tough beginning to 2026 for Chelsea. The City match also signals the start of a demanding January schedule, with Premier League games against Fulham, Brentford, Crystal Palace and West Ham to follow.

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‎In addition to league duties, Chelsea are set to face Pafos and Napoli in the Champions League, take on Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, and meet Charlton in the third round of the FA Cup, making Caicedo’s suspension all the more ill-timed.