In the Suspension Tightrope, we look at the players close to a ban, already suspended or returning from the naughty step in Gameweek 14.
HOW MANY BOOKINGS RESULT IN A BAN – AND WHEN ARE THE CUT-OFF POINTS?
We’ve taken the above table from the Football Association website. It details the cut-off points for the various yellow card thresholds.
The one we’re concerned about right now is the five-caution mark. This is an unwanted target that Premier League players will have to avoid for their team’s first 19 league matches of the season.
Punishments for yellow card accumulation are competition-specific, whereas suspensions for dismissals cover all competitive matches.
ON FOUR YELLOW CARDS
Five new names joined the 23-strong list in Gameweek 13.
Gianluigi Donnarumma (£5.7m) and Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m) were the most notable additions from an FPL perspective. Both have double-digit ownerships in FPL.
Donnarumma’s teammate Bernardo Silva (£6.3m) also joins those on the tightrope, along with DefCon magnets Mats Wieffer (£4.9m) and Andre (£5.3m).
Daniel Munoz (£6.0m), Granit Xhaka (£5.2m) and Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.6m) remain precariously positioned on four bookings but at least avoided fate-sealing yellow cards in Gameweek 13.
ON THREE YELLOW CARDS
There are 40 others who have a bit more breathing space on three yellow cards.
Micky van de Ven (£4.8m), Antoine Semenyo (£7.8m) and Marc Cucurella (£6.1m) are fresh entries on the above list.
Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m), Jack Grealish (£6.6m) and Igor Thiago (£6.7m), like the above, all have double-digit ownerships and remain on three cautions.
So too does man of the moment Phil Foden (£8.1m).
SUSPENDED IN GAMEWEEK 14
As you’ll no doubt be aware by now, Marcos Senesi (£5.0m) will sit out Bournemouth’s clash with Everton on Tuesday. Both the defender and teammate David Brooks (£5.0m) picked up their fifth bookings of the season in Gameweek 13.
The Cherries were hit with a triple suspension whammy on Saturday, in fact, with Lewis Cook (£4.9m) sent off for violent conduct. He’ll now serve a three-match ban.
That’s the same punishment that Moises Caicedo (£6.0m) faces after his own dismissal against Arsenal on Sunday.
Both Caicedo and Cook will return in Gameweek 17.
Lucas Paqueta (£5.9m) was also shown the red card in the Gameweek just gone but as his sending off was for two bookable offences, he’ll only sit out one match.
In terms of ongoing punishment, Idrissa Gana Gueye (£5.4m) serves game two of a three-match ban.
Mykhailo Mudryk (£4.9m) also remains provisionally suspended by the FA.
BACK FROM A BAN IN GAMEWEEK 14
Cristian Romero (£5.0m) is back after a one-match ban. He sat out Saturday’s defeat to Fulham after collecting his fifth yellow card of the season in Gameweek 12.
