Chelsea star banned from playing in next game as Premier League enforce rule

Chelsea starFacundo Buonanotte will be prevented from playing this weekend despite his Carabao Cup rescue act. The Argentine midfielder scored againstLincoln on Tuesday evening as the Blues came from behind.

Chelsea had initially fallen behind to Rob Street’s first-half effort. Tyrique George equalised shortly after the break, with on-loan Brighton man Buonanotte converting just minutes later to complete the turnaround.

Speaking about his performance vs Lincoln, ChelseabossEnzo Maresca said: “Yeah, Buonanotte was very good. I think first-half, we all struggled a little bit, second-half I think we were much, much better.”

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Despite Buonanotte’s impressive performance, he will not be able to play for the Blues this weekend. That is because Chelsea are set to come up against his parent side Brighton, with Premier Leagueloan rules preventing players from coming up against a side that they are contracted to.

FA rules stipulate a player "cannot play in a competition match against their parent club" in the FA Cup, while the Premier League handbook states that "during the period of the temporary transfer... a player shall not play against the transferor club.”

Curiously, the League Cup does not have such a rule meaning that Buonanotte will only play against his parent side should Chelsea and Brighton be drawn against each other later in the competition.

The Seagulls reached the fourth round after they dismissed League One side Barnsley on Tuesday evening.

Buonanotte’s absence will leave Maresca with somewhat of a headache regarding his team selection. Cole Palmer is currently struggling with fitness issues.

It could potentially open the door to Buonanotte's international teammate Alejandro Garnachobeing called up for his first Premier League start of the season.

Either way, Maresca will certainly want improvement from his side having been left furious at Chelsea’s first-half performance vs Lincoln.

Asked how angry he was, the Italian replied: “Absolutely, absolutely [laughs]. No, because we prepared the game thinking exactly in the way it was the first-half, and sometimes it's not about desire, it's about winning [the] second ball, but it's also about experience.

“Jamie Gittens never played against League One [teams], these kind of games. Jorrel never played this kind of game.

“This kind of game, you have to play in a different way, you have to play in a different way. It's more about desire, and we struggled in the first half.”