Newcastle United will host Aston Villa today at St James’ Park.
The Magpies are looking to extend their impressive run of form, having secured three consecutive wins within the week.
As of Christmas Day, they sat in eighth place on the Premier League table, just two points below their opponents, Aston Villa.
Unai Emery’s side arrives fresh from a 2-1 victory over Manchester City, with goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers. However, four players from both teams are at risk of suspension, with each on four yellow cards.
Rogers, Matty Cash (Villa), and Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali and Fabian Schar will face a one-match ban if they are booked today.
Villa’s next match is against Brighton, while Newcastle will play Manchester United on Monday.
To avoid a ban, players must not accumulate five yellow cards before their team’s 19th match.
Schar and Tonali, along with Bruno Guimaraes and Lewis Hall, must avoid bookings in their next two games to steer clear of suspension.
Newcastle’s Joelinton, who missed the win over Ipswich due to a suspension for five bookings, is back for this match, while Dan Burn has already served a ban.
Schar and Guimaraes will miss Newcastle’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal after picking up two bookings in the competition.
The disciplinary tightrope continues for several players as they look to stay eligible for upcoming fixtures.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
