Harry Kane will be walking the disciplinary tightrope over the festive period as he is one yellow card away from a one-match suspension. Returning to Premier League action on Boxing Day away at Brentford, Antonio Conte's Spurs team also face games against Aston Villa on New Year's Day before visiting Crystal Palace three days later.
A crucial period for the Lilywhites as they look to put a strong run together and ensure they remain in the top four, Conte is going to need all of his players available for the upcoming matches. He will be without Rodrigo Bentancur at Brentford on Monday lunchtime, however.
Although the Uruguayan is currently on the sidelines due to an adductor muscle injury in his right leg, the midfielder would have missed the Brentford game anyway as he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season in their last league match against Leeds United, thus earning him a one-match suspension in the process.
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As confirmed by the FA in their 'Information for Players on Disciplinary Procedures' 2022-23 season guide at the beginning of the campaign, any player who accumulates five bookings before the cut-off point of 19 matches will have to serve an automatic one-match ban. Tottenham have played 15 Premier League games so far this season, with the north London derby against Arsenal on Sunday, January 15 set to be their 19th league match.
Kane will have to tread very carefully over the coming games as one more yellow card will see him receive a one-match suspension. If he avoids a caution against Brentford and Aston Villa but picks one up away at Crystal Palace at the start of January, the England captain will unfortunately have to sit out the Arsenal showdown as yellow cards do not carry over to the FA Cup.
If the striker avoids yellow cards in Tottenham's next three league games but is carded against Arsenal, he would then miss out away at Man City, providing of course that one or both of the sides do not need to play an FA Cup third round replay that week and the league fixture remains on Thursday, January 19 as planned.
Kane is the only Tottenham player on four bookings as thing stand, with Yves Bissouma and Ryan Sessegnon following on three bookings. The trio are certainly going to have to watch their step over the next few weeks with a one-match ban a real possibility.
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