We knew it was coming. Luis Suarez had been balancing on the Suspension Tightrope for too many a week, it seemed, and Saturday’s home clash against Southampton finally proved his undoing. Having rattled the woodwork from a free-kick earlier in the game, the Uruguayan fell foul of the referee after a bizarre attempt to punch the ball into the visitors’ net from close-range – it seems he’s yet to shake his predilection for handball in the box.
With five yellows accrued, Suarez’s one-match ban will see him miss the Reds’ trip to West Ham this upcoming Saturday – Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers have moved dramatically after he was flagged at the weekend, with 70,000 already selling him on, in spite of a superb upcoming schedule. Former Red Charlie Adam also joins Suarez on the sidelines after receiving his fifth caution of the season for a foul on Zoltan Gera in Stoke’s weekend win at West Brom – Adam is now sidelined for the Potters’ trip to Villa.
The Suspension Tightrope welcomes a trio of new arrivals this week. Adam’s Stoke team mate Ryan Shawcross is now a booking away from a one-match ban as he heads into the aforementioned Villa Park showdown, while John Obi Mikel and Gareth Bale are both on shaky ground ahead of trips to Sunderland and Everton respectively, though Bale’s availability for Spurs is still yet unclear after he limped off against Fulham with a hamstring strain.
Transferred in by almost 80,000 Fantasy managers already this week, Michu has been swaying on the Tightrope for several weeks now but the Swansea midfielder continues to avoid the referee’s wrath. Having been booked in four of his opening eight matches in all competitions, he has now completed his ninth game without a caution, with a weekend brace against Arsenal his latest Fantasy helping.
This evening’s game at St James’ Park has plenty of protagonists on our radar. Newcastle and Wigan both have two players apiece currently on four cautions – Jonas Gutierrez and Cheick Tiote are the hosts’ main concerns, while the Latics have Gary Caldwell and James McCarthy to worry about. In addition, a quartet of players are a caution away from appearing on the Tightrope – Davide Santon, Mike Williamson, Franco Di Santo and Maynor Figueroa currently sit on three bookings apiece.
Next week’s round of games will see Brede Hangeland and Emmanuel Adebayor available for selection after serving respective three-match bans, while Newcastle’s James Perch will be free to feature in the weekend trip to Fulham after he sits out tonight’s final match of the Gameweek.
