Ruben Dias is a yellow card away from his first Manchester City league suspension after going into the book during their humiliation of Leeds.
While all the attention is being focused at the top of the pitch after their 7-0 demolition of Marcelo Bielsa’s side, Pep Guardiola has a potential problem to think about in his backline.
Premier League rules state that those who pick up five yellow cards before their team’s 19th game will be handed a one-game suspension.
The system then resets meaning players who have accumulated five yellows by their team's 20th game and beyond will not serve the said ban.
However, should a player receive ten cautions before matchday 32, then they will have to sit out two matches.
This season, as is often the case, the reset for most teams takes place on New Year’s Eve, although this may differ next year when the league takes a break due to the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
But City will have played 19 top-flight games this season once they have faced Newcastle on Sunday and Leicester on Boxing Day.
Dias, who has never served a Premier League suspension since his arrival in September 2020, has played in all but one league fixture this term.
Last season’s Premier League player of the year is one of the first names on Guardiola ’s team sheet and is expected to start in both of City’s next two games.
However, if the a suspension does occur then City do have the luxury of bringing in either John Stones or Nathan Ake to play alongside preferred starter Aymeric Laporte.
The Frenchman is one of two City players who have fallen foul of the regulations this season.
Laporte was forced to miss the Manchester derby in November because of it, while Joao Cancelo missed the Leeds rout due to also picking up five bookings.
Meanwhile, Rodri and the in-from Bernardo Silva, who has seven goals to his name this campaign, must also watch their step in these final few games before the cut-off point.
Each have been shown three yellow cards so far meaning a couple of rash challenges could see them sit out City’s final fixture of 2021 at Brentford on December 29.
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