Chelsea would plummet down to seventh place in the current Premier League table if they were hit with a points deduction following sanctions against the club's owner, Roman Abramovich.
Abramovich has been added to the sanctions list by the UK government with all of his assets frozen, including Chelsea Football Club, which means the club will be allowed to continue functioning with restrictions under a special sporting licence that is due to expire at the end of May.
The sanctions have put its sale into considerable doubt and the owner will no longer be allowed to invest in the club, with any prize money earned to be frozen whilst fans won't be permitted to attend away games.
To make matters worse for Chelsea, if the club are unable to get out of the current situation and eventually find their way into administration, the west Londoners could face a possible points deduction of nine points, which could reshape the league table and have huge ramifications in the top-four race.
Thomas Tuchel's side are currently third in the table, five points above Arsenal and Manchester United, respectively, and a nine-point deduction would see them drop down to eighth, below the likes of West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, with the Red Devils then finding themselves in the last UEFA Champions League spot.
If the west London outfit were deducted points now, the table would be as follows...
1. Manchester City - 69 points (played 28)
2. Liverpool - 63 points (played 27)
3. Arsenal - 48 points (played 25)
4. Manchester United - 47 points (played 28)
5. West Ham United - 45 points (played 28)
6. Tottenham Hotspur - 45 points (played 26)
7. Chelsea - 44 points (played 26)
