Chelsea lose Wesley Fofana AND Marc Cucurella for crunch Liverpool game as star defenders pick up bans during bad-tempered Nottingham Forest draw

During Chelsea's ill-tempered 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest, two key Blues defenders, Cucurella and Fofana, collected yellow cards. The Spaniard was booked for a shoulder barge, while Fofana received a yellow for a cynical late challenge, and both will now be absent for the trip to Anfield on October 20.

Both Fofana and Cucurella have started every Chelsea game this season. The former has been booked in all of the Blues' last five games, while Cucurella was carded in all of the last four, as well as the second game of the season against Wolves.

Chelsea have plenty of options to replace Fofana and Cucurella but their absence is likely to make the clash with Liverpool all the more difficult. With them in the side, the Blues have only lost once this season and have conceded just eight goals in seven games.

The international break awaits for most players but Chelsea will return to Premier League action at Anfield on October 20, before travelling to Greece to play Panathinaikos in the Europa Conference League.