The Suspension Tightrope – Gameweek 18

Chelsea’s Diego Costa was the latest guilty party in the penultimate Gameweek of the first Suspension Tightrope of this season. Having bagged a brace for the first time this term in yesterday’s 2-2 home draw with Watford, the Spain international earned his fifth caution of the campaign for a late foul on the Hornets’ centre-half Craig Cathcart. The indiscretion will therefore see Guus Hiddink’s side deprived of Costa’s services for the Monday teatime clash with Manchester United.

Replacing Costa on the tightrope for the final spin of the disciplinary wheel this week is Villa’s Leandro Bacuna, who collected his fourth yellow in a 1-1 draw with West Ham on Saturday. The versatile Dutchman is one of 26 players who will need to be on their best behaviour for the final Gameweek of the calendar year before the Tightrope limit is extended to 10 bookings on New Year’s Day.

Both Norwich’s Alex Tettey and Newcastle’s Jack Colback have a head start on the chasing pack in their efforts to reach that 10-card limit, which would trigger an automatic two-match ban.

That duo are already on eighth bookings for the season and therefore sit just two cards away from further sanction. Stoke defender Erik Pieters, who managed to avoid the referee’s wrath this week, sits one behind on seven cards, while new additions Robert Huth, Emre Can, Billy Jones and Eric Dier have all collected six cautions apiece.

Lastly, a nod to Gareth Barry as the old man of the disciplinary halls, as he picked up a record-breaking 109th yellow card in the last gasp win over Newcastle, his 580th Premier League game. No other player has topped three figures yet for bookings in their Premier League era.

Elsewhere, Bastian Schweinsteiger is available for United’s clash with Chelsea after serving the last of a three-match suspension during yesterday’s loss at Stoke. Jack Rodwell is also back in contention for Sunderland’s home encounter against Liverpool on Wednesday evening, having fallen off the Tightrope last time around.