Chelsea one game away from double suspension nightmare amid anxious Enzo Maresca wait

Chelsea are running the risk of losing two of their stars to suspension ahead of a vital run of fixtures as Enzo Maresca's side target a place in the top four of the Premier League this season.

The Blues have navigated their way to third in the table after a string of decent results, with just one loss in the league since the opening-day defeat against Manchester City. Since then, they've had draws against Arsenal and Manchester United to leave them behind only Manchester City and Liverpool.

While there is talk of a potential title challenge - especially as they sit above the Gunners on goal difference - it can be very easy to see a good run fall apart if a team's top players are missing - just ask Mikel Arteta, who saw his side drop points in four of the eight games Martin Odegaard missed during his recent ankle injury.

It's important to keep your top talent available; while the Blues were good in their defeat at Anfield earlier this season, they were missing two key players in Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella due to suspension after the duo both picked up their fifth yellow cards of the season.

And it could be set to happen again soon. Both Nicolas Jackson and Pedro Neto are now sitting on four bookings after the Portuguese attacker was cautioned in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal.

The Blues do have a wealth of attacking talent available this season, especially with Jadon Sancho set to return from illness after the international break. But with Neto just starting to hit top form having scored the Blues' goal against the Gunners and created a number of good opportunities, Maresca won't want to be deprived of the 24-year-old any time soon.

And the former Wolves player looks to have found his ideal position in the team during the game against Arsenal, having switched to the right flank after Noni Madueke was substituted, who did not appear too happy as he was spotted storming straight down the tunnel.

"The problem is when you change a player, they are never happy," Maresca said after the game. "Probably the only way to be happy is after the Wolves game where he [Madueke] scored a hat-trick and we changed him, so he was happy. It's not only about Noni, it's about all the players.

"It's a good thing because they want to be there until the end. But in that moment, we thought in different ways, probably Pedro with Timber could be a little bit more aggressive - and also with Misha. So it was a tactical decision, no more than that."

Jackson, meanwhile, has been in impressive form this season, scoring six goals in 11 Premier League games and creating another three. Despite some patchy form in his first season, the 23-year-old has firmly established himself as first-choice striker for the Blues.

But another yellow card for the striker will force a rethink for Maresca, with Christopher Nkunku a potential option up front. The French attacker has recently been rumoured to be considering his future at Stamford Bridge, so would surely be hoping to impress if given an opportunity to lead the line.

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