Chelsea set to appeal Nemanja Matic red card

According to Rob Beasley, Chelsea are set to appeal the red card shown to Nemanja Matic on Saturday:

#CFC will appeal Matic red card

— ROB (@1RobBeasley) February 22, 2015

Matic was shown a straight red card for violent conduct against Burnley, after he picked his nearly-broken body off the ground and barged over Ashley Barnes. While it's hard to fault Matic for reacting to the awful challenge in the manner that he did, in order for Chelsea's appeal to be successful, a decision would have to be made that Matic's outburst wasn't violent, however warranted. Should that be the case, the player would be looking at no suspension, as his card would have to be rescinded entirely.

There is some hope for Chelsea fans, as Swansea forward Wayne Routledge has had a red card overturned earlier in the season, in which the circumstances were somewhat similar. That said, I see little reason to believe that Matic will be given a reprieve by the FA, even if it seems extremely likely that Ashley Barnes will be joining him on the suspended list in short order.