LONDON - Chelsea will learn on Tuesday if their gamble to appeal against Frank Lampard's red card against West Ham has paid off.
The England midfielder was dismissed for only the second time in his career when he responded to a challenge by West Ham's Luis Boa Morte in the Blues' 4-0 Barclays Premier League win at Upton Park.
Lampard appeared to shove Boa Morte in the chest but it is understood referee Peter Walton told Chelsea players he acted on advice from assistant referee Guy Beale, who believed he saw Lampard strike Boa Morte in the face.
The Football Association's four-man Regulatory Commission will view video footage of the evidence to ascertain whether an obvious error occurred.
If that is the case then Lampard has a good chance of having the red card rescinded, although the whole incident will be reviewed.
That might mean the commission could still find Lampard guilty of 'violent conduct' when he and Boa Morte grappled on the turf and Lampard appeared to aim a kick at the West Ham striker.
The decision to appeal was a delicate one for Chelsea.
The red card carries an automatic three-match ban which would see Lampard miss Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final at Barnsley next weekend and Premier League games against relegation strugglers Derby and Sunderland.
By appealing, however, the club risk the ban being extended to the match against Tottenham at White Hart Lane on March 19, a fixture in which Chelsea will be hoping to avenge their Carling Cup final defeat.
A recent appeal by Middlesbrough following the sending off of Jeremie Aliadiere was rejected and saw the French striker receive an extra one-game ban after the FA claimed the appeal was "frivolous".
That is unlikely to be the case on this occasion as Lampard has received a measure of support for what was described by pundits as a "harsh decision".
A Lampard reprieve would be the ideal boost as Chelsea prepare for their Champions League second leg tie against Olympiacos at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday and the trip to Barnsley.
The 4-0 destruction of West Ham restored confidence following the Carling Cup defeat and with Chelsea seven points behind Arsenal in the Premier League with a game in hand, Joe Cole is relishing the final push for silverware with the club still fighting on three fronts.
Cole told Chelsea's website, www.chelseafc.com: "We have got everyone fit now. This is the right time to go forward. We have two big cup games coming up. Every game is a big game because we have to win them.
"We have been in this situation before which could help us. We know what we have got to do and it will go down to the last few games, I am certain of that."
Meanwhile, Chelsea's attempt at world domination continues.
The club are to give trials to four Chinese youngsters after agreeing a partnership with a talent show in the People's Republic.
The Super Soccer Star programme will be broadcast in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong next month and the lucky quartet who are judged to have the most promise will visit Chelsea's academy at Cobham in Surrey and their Stamford Bridge ground.
The contest is open to players aged between 14 and 16 and is another bid to boost the Blues' profile in the Far East.
They are already the official football development partner of the Asian Football Confederation's Vision China project, which aims to set up 10 city leagues across the country.
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon said: "We are delighted to be involved in such an innovative project that helps us deliver on our continuing commitment to promote grassroots football amongst youngsters in China.
"The show complements our involvement in Vision China with the AFC as well as showcasing Chelsea to a large audience and we look forward to hosting the finalists of Super Soccer Star in England."
