Which Leeds United player risks ban vs Chelsea - and why Cole Palmer doesn't despite same yellow card total
Leeds United head to Stamford Bridge after the international break with one player from each team risking a ban.
Leeds United have one star player at risk of serving a ban when they travel to Chelsea in the Premier League next month.
The Whites head to Stamford Bridge for the second time this season after the upcoming international break. Daniel Farke’s side were beaten 6-3 in a chaotic Carabao Cup third round tie back in early September.
Before the upcoming break and that trip, Leeds host Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road this Saturday. Farke will want his side to be aggressive in front of their home crowd but one key player will need to be careful.
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Club captain Ethan Ampadu picked up his fourth Premier League booking of the season during Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth. The midfielder was shown a yellow card just after the hour mark for a foul on Evanilson.
Premier League rules state a player will be handed a one-match ban if they receive five or more yellow cards prior to the conclusion of their team's 19th league match of the season. That leaves Ampadu at risk of a suspension for several weeks.
Should the Welshman be booked on Saturday, he will be forced to sit out the trip to Chelsea after the international break. Interestingly, Ampadu hadn’t received a Premier League yellow card before the first break and has since been booked four games in a row.
Losing Ampadu for such a game would be a huge blow, with the Whites skipper one of only two outfielders - the other being Tarik Muharemovic - to play every available league minute this season. Should the midfielder miss out, he will likely be replaced by Ilia Gruev.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer is also currently on four Premier League yellow cards but doesn’t risk a ban if he is booked at Sunderland this weekend. That is because two of his four cautions came in the same match.
Palmer was sent off for two yellow cards during Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat at home to Spurs in October, which resulted in a one-match ban. What it does mean, however, is that neither of those two yellow cards make up part of his accumulated total, which currently sits at two.