Wolves face Burnley in a blockbuster clash at the bottom of the table.placeholder image
Wolves face Burnley in a blockbuster clash at the bottom of the table. | Wolves via Getty Images
A few Wolves stars are walking a suspension tightrope
Winless Wolves host Burnley this weekend in a game which promises to have huge implications for this season’s relegation battle.
The Old Gold have accumulated a ghastly two points from a possible 23 in the league so far this season, and already find themselves five points behind 17th placed Burnley at this early stage.
Defeat in this fixture could see Wolves fall even further adrift of the teams around them in the relegation battle. Which is an increasingly alarming thought this season in particular given the immense improvement from the newly-promoted sides when compared to years gone by.
Wolves desperately need to pick up more points and to do that they’ll need to see the best of the stars that got them out of this mess last term, along with those recruited by Pereira in the summer.
Along with injuries, another thing West Brom will be keen to avoid are suspensions, particularly with fixtures coming thick and fast in the Championship over a demanding festive season. One thing Wolves will be desperate to avoid is suspensions as they enter a pivotal part of the season where fixtures come in thick and fast. With that in mind, we take a look at Wolves’ disciplinary record and the stars walking a suspension tightrope.
The three Wolves players at risk of suspension
Club captain Toti Gomes is the only player to have been seen red this season. The Portuguese centre-back was sent off against Bournemouth in a 1-0 away defeat in the 49th minute. He’s featured four times since that incident but failed to make it onto the pitch in a draw with Brighton and more recently the defeat to Sunderland.
Other than that, Wolves have just two players at risk of picking up a suspension in the coming weeks. João Gomes, who picked up 11 yellows in the league last term, is on three bookings so far, and the same applies to Matt Doherty. Brazilian midfielder Andre has been cautioned twice this season while six other players have been booked on one occasion.
Premier League rules state that any player that picks up five bookings before matchday 19 will serve a one-match suspension. Similarly, any player that accumulates 10 yellows by week 32 is handed a two-match ban. Any player with 15 bookings over the season gets a three-match suspension.
Where Wolves rank in terms of fair play this season
Wolves have the fifth worst disciplinary record of any club in the top-flight this term. The Old Gold have picked up a combined total of 14 yellow cards and one red so far this term.
Chelsea top the discipline chart with 16 yellows and three reds throughout the campaign. Intriguing, league leaders Arsenal, who were slammed for their discipline in the early part of last season, have the best record in the division at present with nine yellow and no reds.
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