Latest Liverpool news and gossip as Darwin Nunez is close to being handed a Premier League suspension with yellow cards that would give Jurgen Klopp a major dilemma
Darwin Nunez is edging closer to giving Jurgen Klopp an unwanted selection headache at Liverpool.
The Reds striker scored in the 3-1 win over Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday, with Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz also on the score sheet. It was Nunez’s 12th goal in all competitions this season, as he helped Liverpool climb back to the top of the table.
Nunez’s header from a Harvey Elliott cross was the first time that the striker has scored a league goal at Anfield since the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on October 29. In total, the Uruguayan has eight goals and seven assists in the Premier League this term.
The game also saw Nunez receive a yellow card from referee Tim Robinson. The booking was an eighth in the Premier League this season for the Liverpool striker, and he is edging closer to a suspension.
Players who amass 10 yellow cards in the Premier League will receive a two-game ban. The cut-off for the 10-card suspension point is up to and including the teams’ 32nd league fixture of the season, after which point the threshold for bans will increase to 15 yellow cards.
This season also sees yellow cards non-transferable across multiple competitions. This means that cards Nunez picks up in the Premier League do not affect the Carabao Cup, and vice-versa, meaning he is not in danger of missing the Final against Chelsea unless he gets sent off.
Liverpool have played 24 league games this season, meaning the next eight will see Nunez in danger of being on the sidelines for two games if he picks up two more yellow cards. The Reds also have some important games in that run, starting with an away trip to Brentford this Saturday before hosting Luton Town next week.
The fixture list will also see Liverpool welcome Manchester City to Anfield within the next eight league games. There are also away trips to Everton and Manchester United in that run, although the game against the Toffees will need to be rearranged if the Reds beat Southampton in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Liverpool’s 32nd league fixture is currently scheduled to be the away trip to Old Trafford to face Man United in early April. Between then the Reds will also have games against Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Sheffield United.
Nunez has missed just one Premier League fixture for Liverpool this season, which came in the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the end of September. Since then the striker has been a regular figure in Klopp’s starting line-up, being handed a total 22 starts across all competitions.
