Chelsea striker Diego Costa will discover later on Friday whether he must serve a suspension for violent conduct, with his case to be heard by an independent regulatory commission.
The Spain international is facing an immediate three-match ban for his alleged stamp on Liverpool midfielder Emre Can during Tuesday's Capital One Cup semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge.
However, Press Association Sport understands, in a move which has the full support of the club, that Costa contested the Football Association charge ahead of Thursday's 6pm deadline and as such the case will now go before an independent regulatory commission, which will make the final decision and has no leave of appeal.
There will, therefore, be a resolution before Saturday's Barclays Premier League contest with title rivals Manchester City, a match Chelsea have announced they will not be holding a press conference to preview.
The incident - one of several during an action-packed 120 minutes earlier this week - happened in close proximity to the dugouts but was missed by the match officials.
It was subsequently reviewed on video by referee Michael Oliver, with the charge following as part of the FA's fast-tracked procedures.
The cancellation of Friday's media conference, which under Premier League rules Chelsea are obliged to hold, means manager Jose Mourinho will not be put into the crossfire ahead of the Stamford Bridge encounter, which comes just days after being fined £25,000 by the FA for claiming there was a ''clear campaign'' against his side.
Those comments followed the draw at Southampton on December 28, with the Portuguese making similar remarks after Tuesday's 1-0 win against Liverpool when defending Costa.
''I don't know what you understand by stamp,'' Mourinho said.
''I think maybe you are already influenced by. I'm going to use a word which put me in trouble, but I think this time I cannot be punished to say that there is a campaign on the television with a certain pundit that is saying Diego Costa 'crimes'. This guy must be nuts.
''I saw the incidents. About the penalty, I don't speak. I prefer not to speak. If I comment I will be in trouble and I don't want to be.
''What you call stamps and Sky calls crimes, I have to say absolutely accidental. He goes to the ball, he chases the ball, as the opponent is on the floor, they have a contact, he puts his foot there when he's looking to the ball.''
The move to avoid the pre-match press conference may be a sensible decision, but it could prove costly for Chelsea.
Rule K.95 of the Premier League handbook states each club must ensure their manager attends a press conference with broadcasters and, at their discretion, other representatives of the media on a Thursday or Friday before a weekend game ''save for exceptional circumstances, to be managed and monitored by the league''.
It is understood the Premier League will write to Chelsea and ask for their observations in the wake of this week's no-show, with a fine a possible outcome.
Chelsea, meanwhile, continue to be linked with Fiorentina's Colombian winger Juan Cuadrado, who is said to have a £27million buy-out clause. It has been suggested Egypt midfielder Mohamed Salah could be used as a makeweight in any potential deal.
Reports also suggest Andre Schurrle is closing on a move to Wolfsburg.
Source: PA
