Pep Guardiola has new deadline for Man City ban ahead of Chelsea

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Pep Guardiola has missed three games through suspension already this season and has a maximum of 10 left to avoid another

Pep Guardiola will be back in the dugout when Manchester City face Chelsea on Sunday. The Catalan has served a two-game suspension owing to six yellow cards and is now free to take charge of his team again.

However, Guardiola will have to watch himself on his return with the threat of another ban before the end of the season. While the punishment for six yellow cards has been served, they do not disappear from the manager’s record.

And having missed one game after three yellow cards and two games after six, should Guardiola pick up another three yellows before the end of the season he will be forced from the touchline for three matches. Depending on timings, that could include the final match of the campaign in a year that could yet be the coach’s last in English football.

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For another ban to be triggered, Guardiola would have to pick up three yellow cards in City’s remaining Premier League and FA Cup matches. There are eight league games left, and two in the cup if City can beat Championship side Southampton in the semi-final later this month.

The match carrying the biggest risk will be the home game against Arsenal in a fortnight. Guardiola has been booked in both games that the Blues have played against the Gunners so far this season - in the Premier League at the Emirates and then in the Carabao Cup final.

That Wembley yellow card did not count towards any suspensions, although Guardiola vowed that he could not stop himself from celebrating goals as a human and would take any subsequent punishment.

"If I cannot celebrate in the moment against that team with the way we are playing... the emotions are related to the way we are playing," he said.

"Sometimes we have one action and score a goal and I do not react in that way. I react when it's yes, yes, yes - the emotions come out. Come on, give me another yellow card but I will celebrate, I'm not yet artificial intelligence. I'm a human being and I can celebrate. I want to celebrate. It's not no respect for Arsenal or for their fans, I just celebrate with my people. I'm a human being with emotions and when I feel it I express it.

"It's still the joy to compete. Today was a real challenge. Nobody gave us anything and I said to the players today we are going to see ourselves, what is our level against the best team? What are we? We talked about the game we played against Arsenal at the beginning of the season and that was the challenge.

"The old ones and myself and the guys on the bench, it's like what we said after Madrid. They are the best so far, no doubt about that, ok let's prove. In general, last 10-15 minutes of the first half and the second half I could not believe we could do it against that Arsenal and we did it. That is nice for the sport."

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