Chelsea handed potential Club World Cup quarter-final boost as suspension rules explained

Chelsea are back in action at the Club World Cup on Saturday night as they play their last 16 clash against Benfica.

The Blues made it through to the knockout stages after two wins from thir three group games, beating Los Angeles FC and Esperance de Tunis but losing to Flamengo and finishing second in the group.

That was not necessarily a bad thing in the end though, with Benfica pipping Bayern Munich to top spot in their group, meaning it is the Portuguese side the Blues will take on in the last 16, rather than the Bundesliga champions.

READ MORE: Aston Villa star makes Chelsea transfer feelings clear as £45m offer and Man Utd stance revealed

READ MORE: Victor Osimhen Chelsea transfer twist amid double £67m incentive as shock 'agreement' reached

Chelsea will be looking to make it to at least the semi-finals, where they could meee Premier League rivals Manchester City if all goes to plan, with Pep Guardiola's side in the other quarter of the draw for the knockouts.

Prior to that, however, Chelsea will have to overcome either Palmeiras or Botafogo in the quarter-final - should they dispatch Benfica tonight - and that will not be easy.

Palmeiras have incoming Chelsea player Estevao Willian in their squad, while Botafogo finished second in the group that contained Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid.

The Blues will know who they will face in the quarter-final, should they win, because the clash of the two South American teams is taking place before their match against Benfica.

And Chelsea received a potential boost during the contest in Philadelphia. With the first half drawing to a close, Palmeiras captain Gustavo Gomez slid in late in the middle of the park, taking out a Botafogo player and while play went on, the referee did not forget and when the ball went dead returned to book the Palmeiras skipper.

That was his second yellow card of the tournament and means he will miss the quarter-final clash, should Palmeiras end up winning the last 16 encounter. He was not the only one, with Joaquin Piquerez also picking up a second booking in the second half, meaning he too misses the quarter-final, if Palmeiras get through.

It only takes two yellows to get a suspension in the FIFA tournament, with bookings wiped out after the quarter-final stage.