Three Pompey players will need to exercise caution since the EFL Championship’s disciplinary standards might result in a two-match suspension.
A player must face a two-game penalty according to the FA’s disciplinary regulations if they receive ten yellow cards prior to game week 37.
Players who have been picked up five games prior to the season’s first 19 league games have been given a game. A player will receive a three-game suspension that will be carried over to the following season if they receive 15 yellows before the season’s end, before the playoffs.
To date, Pompey have played 33 games this season and so they have four games to get through to avoid picking up a booking or two.
Several of their players such as Paddy Lane, Jacob Farrell and Ibane Bowat have suffered injuries that have curtailed their campaigns and so Pompey won’t want to lose any more of their players due to a suspension.
With nine yellow cards throughout the campaign, Callum Lang is the player most likely to be banned. Although Lang will need a scan after suffering an injury during the victory over Oxford United, John Mousinho thinks his top scorer won’t be sidelined for long.
The forward has ten goals this season, but he is also on the verge of receiving ten or more bookings. Depending on how long he is sidelined, he will also miss games if he receives a yellow card prior to the 37th game.
Before scoring his first goal in Pompey colours just after the restart, Dozell was carded against Oxford United which was his eighth of the campaign. He must now avoid picking up another two in these next run of matches.
The 25-year-old has featured regularly for Pompey this season making 23 starts in the league so they cannot afford to lose him.
The captain, Marlon Pack, is the third player that might be banned. After receiving two yellow cards against Sunderland, he missed the FA Cup match against Wycombe Wanderers, serving his ban earlier this season.
Although Pack has received seven yellow cards this season, he has gone five games without receiving one, demonstrating his ability to be disciplined when the team needs him to be.
The 33-year-old has been a substitute in recent weeks after several central defensive players recovered from their respective injuries.
He remains an option in defence given the injury to Conor Shaughnessy but is considered more of a defensive midfield option nowadays.
Clubs will want to avoid losing some of their players for something that can be prevented with just over 25% of the season left. Due to their participation in the FA Cup, a number of Pompey’s opponents must play some midweek games, whereas the Blues won’t play one until March 12 against Plymouth Argyle.
Wouter Burger and Andrew Moran have both received eight yellow cards for Stoke City, who are only one point behind Pompey. The two midfielders have more time left to escape suspension because the Potters have played one fewer game than them.
Derby County’s Australian defender Callum Elder is on eight yellow cards as well as their midfield enforcer Ebou Adams and forward Marcus Harness. Bottom side Luton Town could be without Jordan Clark who is on eight as well as Cardiff City’s Perry Ng.
Plymouth Argyle’s Darko Gyabi is on seven yellow cards and a busy period awaits him with a crucial game against Luton Town on Wednesday. His teammate Matthew Sorinola is just below him on six. You also have Cardiff City’s Calum Chambers and Joe Ralls also on six cards apiece along with Luton’s Carlton Morris and Stoke’s Junior Tchamadeu.
