The Suspension Tightrope – Perilous

A raft of weekend bookings saw as many as five Premier League protagonists clamber onto the Suspension Tightrope after receiving their ninth caution of the campaign. One more yellow for any of our quintet triggers an automatic two-match ban now – bearing in mind the curfew is up to and including the Sunday April 14 (Gameweek 33), there’s every chance at least a couple could succumb to suspension.

The five guilty parties are Marouane Fellaini, David Luiz, Gary Caldwell, Craig Gardner and Matthew Lowton, with the first two the obvious concern for Fantasy managers. With Everton looking forward to a double Gameweek 33 (QPR, ars), Fellaini will be a clear target for investment but, in order to avoid the ban, has to engineer four league matches without falling foul of the referee – a Gameweek 31 home clash with Stoke, where he comes face to face with Ryan Shawcross once again, is likely to test his temperament. The frustrating thing for those looking to draft him in for the double is that even if Fellaini manages to go the next three without receiving a yellow, a booking in the first match of the double (at home to QPR on Saturday April 13) would take him over the 10-card limit and leave him unavailable for the second match of the Gameweek, away to Arsenal three days later.

Luiz will potentially teeter on the Tightrope for five games. The Chelsea defender currently has four league games and an FA Cup Sixth Round replay against United also set to take place before Gameweek 33 – depending on the result of that match, he will subsequently have either three league fixtures and a Semi-Final on his agenda or four league games, should United knock the Blues out. There’s also the somewhat unlikely scenario of a sixth game, though. If Rafa Benitez’s side are knocked out of both the FA Cup and Europa League, the Premier League could theoretically reschedule their trip to Fulham, initially set for last weekend, to a date prior to Gameweek 33.

While Gardner, Lowton and Caldwell all have four games apiece before the deadline, the latter could have five matches to prevail. Wigan’s trip to City, initially scheduled for Gameweek 29, has yet to be given a new date – although both sides are through to the Semi-Finals, City’s lack of European action may yet see the match take place before Gameweek 33, affording both clubs a double and adding an extra fixture for Caldwell to navigate.

In terms of those already on the sidelines, both Pavel Pogrebnyak and Robert Huth are set to serve the last of their respective three-match bans for serious foul play and violent conduct respectively, this weekend. Villa’s Fabian Delph sits out the second of a two-match ban – he was the first player to break through the 10 card barrier earlier this month.