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Revealed: Why Chelsea star Moises Caicedo is banned for Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal tonight
Jan 14 2026 09:17 · By onefootball.com · 28 Reads
Blues blow as key midfielder ruled out of first leg at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea will be without Moises Caicedo when they play Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tonight.
Caicedo is suspended for the game at Stamford Bridge, in a major blow for the Blues and their new head coach Liam Rosenior.
Chelsea reached the last four when they beat Cardiff 3-1 in Wales last month, with Arsenal joining them after knocking out Crystal Palace on penalties.
But Chelsea will be without one of their most important players for the first leg after Caicedo was booked against Cardiff.
Moises Caicedo was booked for sarcastically applauding referee Tony Harrington
Getty Images
Caicedo captained Chelsea against Cardiff on a night when former boss Enzo Maresca rang the changes.
In the 45th minute, the Ecuador international was given a yellow card from referee Tony Harrington for sarcastically applauding his decision to award Cardiff a free-kick for a Chelsea foul.
That was his second booking in the Carabao Cup this season, following a yellow card he received for arguing in the fourth minute of added time in the previous round at Wolves.
His second booking in the competition means he must sit out of that first leg of the semi-final in January.
Yes, they are. But that does not mean Caicedo has escaped a suspension.
Players who reach the semi-finals with one yellow card from a previous round have them wiped at that point.
But players who have already picked up a suspension by the end of their quarter-final match must still serve that suspension. The threat of future suspensions is wiped, but existing suspensions are not.
As Caicedo was given the second yellow card during the quarter-finals and before Chelsea had reached the semi-finals, he is still hit with a one-game ban.
FA guidelines, which governs league and cup competitions in England and Wales, state: “Any single yellow card are expunged following the quarter-final stages.”
Caicedo will be available for the second leg at Emirates Stadium on February 3.