West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini could soon have a selection problem on his hands, with Issa Diop running a suspension tightrope this weekend.
The West Ham defender is just one booking away from a suspension, having accumulated four yellow cards in the Premier League so far this season ahead of the trip to face Burnley at Turf Moor tomorrow (Saturday).
The 22-year-old has been shown a yellow card in each of West Ham's last three games, and if he is booked tomorrow in Lancashire, Diop would miss the Hammers’ game against London rivals Tottenham after the international break.
Any player with five yellow cards before the 20th league game of the season will serve an automatic one-game suspension, with several players in the top flight already serving a one-match ban, including Crystal Palace captain Luka Milivojevic and Tottenham defender Danny Rose.
Three other players - Chelsea midfielder Jorginho, Bournemouth midfielder Jefferson Lerma and Manchester United's Ashley Young - are all set to serve a ban this weekend after accumulating five yellow cards.
Diop is the only West Ham player who is one booking away from a suspension, with five members of Pellegrini’s squad currently on two yellow cards so far this season.
They are Angelo Ogbonna, Fabian Balbuena, Ryan Fredericks, Mark Noble and Declan Rice.
There are currently eight more games before the cut off point for a one-match suspension for five yellow cards.
After 19 games, the risk of a one-game suspension for five bookings ceases, but players can still be banned for two matches if they accumulate ten bookings before the 33rd match of the season, and a three-game ban for accumulating 15 yellow cards before the end of the season.
