Danny Drinkwater is facing a retrospective three match ban after the Football Association charged him with violent conduct over an alleged elbow in Leicester's defeat to Watford.
The Foxes midfielder appeared to swing his right elbow in the direction of Hornets anchor man Valon Behrami during the 2-1 defeat at Vicarage Road on Saturday and, if found guilty of the offence, Drinkwater will miss crucial Premier League matches ahead of the busy festive fixture period.
In a statement released on their website, the FA said: "Danny Drinkwater has been charged for an alleged act of violent conduct which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video.
Danny Drinkwater Nasty Elbow vs Valon Behrami! - https://t.co/nTJOcucirf via @DailymotionUSA
"The Leicester City midfielder was involved in an incident with Watford's Valon Behrami in the 67th minute of the game on Saturday 19 November 2016.
"He has until 6pm on Wednesday 23 November 2016 to reply to the charge."
The incident took place midway through the second half of the encounter, with referee Neil Swarbrick taking no action at the time - a decision which has allowed the FA to open proceedings against Drinkwater for his conduct.
Should the 26-year-old face a domestic ban, he will sit out the top flight home matches against Middlesbrough and Manchester City on November 26 and December 10 respectively, as well as the away trip to Sunderland on December 3. However, Drinkwater will be eligible to face Porto in the Champions League on December 7, with the ban only enforced in the UK.
The ban will come as a significant blow to Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri, who has failed to inspire another Premier League title push after the Midland outfits' seemingly impossibly top flight triumph last season.
The Foxes currently find themselves languishing in 14th position in the league standings after picking up just 12 points from 12 matches, and have lost five of their six away matches so far this term.
ï“° @LCFC midfielder Danny Drinkwater charged for incident which was unseen by match officials but caught on video: https://t.co/RRtYD3X2Ue
In contrast to their league form, the King Power stadium-based outfit confirmed their passage to the last-16 of the Champions League after Tuesday's 2-1 victory over Club Brugge.
Speaking in the wake of his side's defeat last Saturday, Ranieri refused to be drawn on whether Drinkwater had elbowed Behrami during the match.
He said: I don't like to speak now about this speculation. I saw the referee was very close to the incident, he doesn't whistle or take any consequences, then I think it's OK."
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