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Mikel Arteta could lose two key players when Arsenal take on Aston Villa this weekend
Riccardo Calafiori and Martin Zubimendi will walk the disciplinary tightrope when Arsenal face Aston Villa. The Gunners will lock horns with Unai Emery's side at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon as they look to defend their lead at the top of the Premier League.
Arsenal restored their five-point cushion on Wednesday night following a 2-0 win over Brentford. As the north Londoners cruised past the Bees, Aston Villa came from behind to defeat Brighton in a seven-goal thriller.
The Villans climbed into third place following Chelsea's defeat to Leeds United. With just six points separating Aston Villa from Arsenal, and Manchester City lurking in second, this weekend's clash could prove decisive by the end of the season.
While Arteta will want his players to leave everything on the pitch, he won't want to see Calafiori or Zubimendi suspended. The Arsenal duo have been shown their fair share of yellow cards, and they're at risk of getting a one-match ban.
The defender has been cautioned four times in the English top flight this term, while the midfielder has been booked three times. Premier League rules state that players who receive a total of five yellow cards over the first 19 games are given a one-match ban.
If a player is booked 10 times across the first 32 Premier League matches of the season, then they will be suspended for two games. With the Carabao Cup underway, it's worth noting that yellow cards issued in the English top-flight do not carry over to domestic cup competitions.
With so much at stake, it would be a nightmare if Arteta were to lose either Calafiori or Zubimendi during the festive period. The duo have until the end of the year to avoid any more bookings, which happens to be when Arsenal host Aston Villa for the reverse fixture on December 30.
Jurrien Timber and Viktor Gyokeres have only been cautioned twice, so they're in no immediate danger of suspension. Cristhian Mosquera, Declan Rice, Piero Hincapie, David Raya, and Gabriel Magalhaes have only been booked once this term.
The Gunners have some difficult fixtures on the horizon. Shortly after facing Aston Villa, Arteta's side will jet off to Belgium to play Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League.
A couple of days later, Arsenal are back in action, taking on Wolves. The north Londoners will then have a week or so to recharge their batteries before locking horns with Everton.
In the final week or so of December, Arsenal play Crystal Palace in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup, as well as Brighton and Aston Villa in the Premier League. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday night, Arteta commented on the fixture schedule.
"It's probably not one thing, but we can help the players and everybody in the league and everybody to do what we have to do, give it another day," said the Spaniard. "Especially the teams that are playing so much in Europe.
"To everybody in general, I think we can do that because we're going to benefit from that. We've never had such a schedule on every level, not only in the Premier League, but every competition internationally as well.
"So we need to try to do that, please. I think it's common sense. I think at some point this becomes too much, you know, and the players are not machines. But we have to try to do that when we can."
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