Arsenal have now completed 31 of their 38 Premier League matches; seven remain and separate them from a first title in 22 years. The Gunners have scored the most goals in the division so far, conceded the fewest and therefore unsurprisingly have the most points.
They have opened a nine-point gap with a game extra played compared to their closest rivals, Manchester City. The Opta algorithms are giving Mikel Arteta’s men a 97.73% chance of now lifting the title, their rivals holding the final 2.27% probability of pulling off the biggest shock from this stage the league may have ever seen.
However, the significance of entering the 32nd matchweek of the Premier League season lies in the suspension rules. There are several thresholds throughout a season where, if a player receives a certain number of bookings, it can incur a ban.
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The first is five, which, if collected before the completion of the 19th matchweek, will result in a one-match ban. The highest number of yellow cards any Arsenal players have picked up is five so far this season: Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber.
Calafiori served his ban in the win over Wolves at the Emirates Stadium after picking up his fifth yellow in matchweek 15 and has not been booked since. Timber’s fifth booking didn’t come until their 28th matchday in the 4-1 win over Spurs.
This means that a two-match suspension, which is handed out to players who accumulate ten yellow cards before the completion of the 32nd matchday, is not something any player need worry about. The same, however, cannot be said for their rivals City.
Bernardo Silva, in just 30 games, has collected nine yellow cards. This means that if he were to be booked in either of City’s next two matches away at Chelsea or at home to the Gunners, he would have to serve a two-match suspension.
Such a critical player to Pep Guardiola’s team, whether the Spaniard decides to be cautious with Silva’s usage during these games remains to be seen. Equally, whether it has an impact on how Silva approaches the next two league games is another factor that must come into consideration.
Being booked against Chelsea would mean missing the pivotal clash with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium. Additionally if he made this game but got booked in what is sure to be a gripping and heated affair with the Gunners, he’d miss two away games with Burnley and Everton (unless the to-be-scheduled game with Crystal Palace is rearranged before either).
