Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes has received a one-game suspension in the Premier League. Guimaraes was shown his fifth yellow card of the season during Newcastle’s 1-0 victory over Arsenal at St James’ Park. The Brazilian was involved in several physical challenges during the match and was eventually cautioned by referee Stuart Attwell in the 88th minute.
As a result, Guimaraes will be unavailable for Newcastle’s next Premier League match against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, November 11 (5:30 pm kick-off). However, the 25-year-old will still be eligible to play in The Magpies’ upcoming Champions League fixture against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday evening (5:45 pm kick-off).
After the Arsenal game, Newcastle’s head coach, Eddie Howe, expressed his frustration with Guimaraes’ suspension. He stated, “I was frustrated, not so much with Bruno but with the decision. In my opinion, Bruno was ahead of the player and he received a booking. I’ll have to review it, but my initial reaction was that it wasn’t a booking. There were a lot of unnecessary yellow cards today, and with very few players available, we can’t afford to pick up suspensions. Losing Bruno for any game is a setback for us, but we’ll have to manage.”
Guimaraes becomes the second Newcastle player to be suspended for a Premier League match this season after Anthony Gordon accumulated five yellow cards. Any player who receives five yellow cards before their club’s 20th Premier League game of the season faces a one-match ban. Sean Longstaff is one booking away from suspension, having already received four yellow cards this season.
As of now, Newcastle’s 20th Premier League game is scheduled to be an away match against Liverpool on New Year’s Day.
In addition to Guimaraes and Longstaff, several other Newcastle players have received yellow cards this season, including Kieran Trippier (3), Dan Burn, Fabian Schar, and Sandro Tonali (2 each), and others like Miguel Almiron, Joelinton, Harvey Barnes, Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles, Tino Livramento, Matt Targett, and Callum Wilson.
Eddie Howe has previously mentioned the rule changes in the Premier League this season that have led to more yellow cards being issued. He acknowledged that referees have become stricter regarding discipline, time-wasting, and other minor infractions in the game, resulting in more players receiving yellow cards.
Guimaraes will return to Premier League action for Newcastle after the international break when they face Chelsea at St James’ Park on Saturday, November 25 (3 pm kick-off).