West Ham United manager Nuno Espirito Santo will not have to go up against Pep Guardiola on the touchline next weekend at least after the Manchester City boss was handed a two-game ban.
Indeed, a set of new regulations mean that Guardiola will not be on the touchline when West Ham United play against Manchester City on Saturday, 14 March, 2026.
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Guardiola, who has recorded eight wins in his 11 visits to the London Stadium since his appointment at City in 2016, was given a yellow card during his side’s FA Cup win over Newcastle United on Saturday night.
Pep Guardiola banned for two games due to new regulations
As per BBC Sport, a new set of regulations were introduced at the start of the 2025/26 campaign.
They mean that managers who are handed six yellow cards in a season will need to serve a two-match touchline ban. Three bookings result in a one-match ban.
9 cup finals left in the PL this season – who should start alongisde Axel Disasi? 🤔
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The ban only applies to Premier League and FA Cup games, meaning Guardiola is not suspended for his side’s games against Real Madrid and Arsenal in the Champions League and Carabao Cup final respectively.
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Guardiola will miss the West Ham game as well as whatever FA Cup quarter-final his team are drawn in in April.
Pep Guardiola speaks to the match officials after Manchester City beat Newcastle United in the FA Cup.
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Will Erling Haaland be fit for West Ham vs Manchester City?
Erling Haaland sat out of the Newcastle game, although that doesn’t appear to be injury-related.
Haaland has been dealing with a small injury recently, but Guardiola confirmed before the win on Tyneside that the Norway international had merely been rested.
“I was not planning to play him,” Guardiola said to reporters. “I would prefer [him to have] good training sessions than to travel and play just 10-15 minutes.”
Like Guardiola, Haaland has a brilliant record against the Irons.
Seven games against them over the course of his career have yielded a stunning 11 goals for the striker.
Saturday’s meeting with City is going to be a very tough test for Nuno’s side, with or without Guardiola on the touchline.
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