Fabinho is at risk of missing two of Liverpool’s final games in this season’s Premier League, after receiving nine yellow cards – seven of which have been in his last nine appearances. Despite a difficult campaign, the Brazilian has remained a near ever-present for the Reds across all competitions, starting each of the last seven games in the league. Fabinho needs to avoid another yellow card in either of Liverpool’s next two games – at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday and away to West Ham on Wednesday – or he will receive a two-match suspension. If he is booked in either of these games, he will miss the matches against West Ham and Tottenham (if booked vs. Forest) or Tottenham and Fulham (if booked vs. West Ham).
Fabinho has averaged a booking every 1.29 games in his last nine appearances, while in the previous 19 in the league he was only booked twice – or every 9.5 games. He is one of eight players across the Premier League who are walking a tightrope when it comes to yellow cards, four of whom are already on nine yellows. Fulham’s Andreas Pereira and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister will be banned if they are booked in their next two or three games respectively. Ruben Neves and Joao Palhinha have already observed their bans after picking up 10 yellow cards earlier in the campaign, as has Newcastle’s Joelinton, who is the most-booked player in the Premier League this season with 11. Fabinho has never been booked more than seven times in an entire Premier League campaign, his most being last term.