Many Premier League managers will be sweating this week as the schedule ramps up before the hectic festive period. Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City are all in action tonight while Tottenham are back in business tomorrow, before a full round of fixtures over the weekend.
And with games coming thick and fast, the threat of imminent bans are looming large for plenty of Premier League players. Current rules state that players who collect five cards in the first half of the campaign will be handed a one-match suspension – with the ban being competition-specific.
There are therefore five more games for stars to try and avoid one-match bans, with 14 rounds of fixtures having already been played.
Heading into tonight’s matches, there are Man Utd and Chelsea players at risk of a brief ban. Bruno Fernandes faces a suspension if he picks up a yellow against the Blues, while Mauricio Pochettino will be nervous over Enzo Fernandez and Raheem Sterling. And with a match that has so much at stake, don’t be surprised if we see yellows at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, Destiny Udogie will have to be on his best behaviour when Tottenham take on bitter London rivals West Ham at home on Thursday night. Furthermore, Newcastle will be sweating over Kieran Trippier and Sean Longstaff when they take on an Everton side motivated following their 10-point deduction.
Tottenham take on Newcastle at home on Sunday afternoon, so both managers will be hoping they’re dealt no setbacks ahead of the weekend’s action in the Premier League.
Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson currently leads the way with seven yellow cards in the Premier League, while Anthony Gordon and West Ham duo Edson Alvarez and Emerson both have six.
The trio above will now be hoping they don’t pick up slightly longer bans later on in the season. The next number is 10 bookings in 32 league matches, which would see players miss two fixtures.
A three-match ban would come next for any players who have picked up 15 yellow cards throughout the season. But for now, Erik ten Hag and co will just be hoping their star players remain in the referees’ good books later tonight.
