Leicester City dealt Championship run-in blow as key Players facing suspension after FA Cup defeat
Leicester City will be without Callum Doyle when they travel to Bristol City on the other side of the international break. The Foxes have taken a break from the Championship promotion battle this weekend to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
As Leeds United did in the previous round, the Foxes pushed Chelsea all the way in west London and managed to enter the injury time with the scores tied at 2-2. But late efforts from Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke were enough to break Enzo Maresca’s side’s hearts and leave Leicester with nothing but the league to focus on over the final two months of the campaign.
The game came at an added cost for Leicester, too, with Doyle being handed a straight red card in the 73rd minute of the contest for a foul on the edge of the box, bringing down Nicolas Jackson. The dismissal means he will be handed a one-game ban and that will be served when the Foxes go to Ashton Gate on Good Friday.
It comes as a blow for Leicester, who have seen Doyle come into contention and play his part over the last few months after overcoming a long-term knee injury. Due to the injury, Doyle, who is on loan from Manchester City, has only played 13 league games for Leicester this season, but he’ll no doubt be keen to play a key role when he returns from his suspension on Easter Monday.
Maresca will be checking on the fitness of Jamie Vardy over the international break after seeing his striker ruled out of the trip to Chelsea with a small issue. He’ll be keen to see the likes of Ricardo Pereira, Dennis Praet and Ricardo Pereira return from injury sooner rather than later, too, as Leicester prepare to make one final push to regain a place at English football’s top table.
The club will be keeping a close eye on the situation with Forest to have an idea on any possible punishment. The four-point deduction for the Reds will be subject to appeal, Everton were originally handed a 10-point punishment for a breach the previous season but saw that reduced to six on appeal.
Although every situation is different, the latest update will give City a better idea of what punishment they could be given should they be found to be in breach of the rules. For fans it is still a waiting game to see if the reports come to fruition.
