Rice will return for the trip to Manchester City the following week which sandwiches a Champions League tie away at Atalanta in a tough gauntlet of games for the Gunners. Rice’s two yellow cards against Brighton added to one he already received against Aston Villa.
This means he is currently sitting on three in three games. Premier League rules dictate that should a player accumulate five yellow cards in the first nineteen matches, they are then due a one-game suspension.
Getting ten by week 32 incurs a two-game ban and fifteen before matchday 38 means a three-game ban. The idea that Rice can last 15 games without getting more than just one more yellow card seems on paper incredibly unrealistic.
The positive is that no matter what he cannot be suspended for the clash with Man City after the derby. However, there are games against Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United still to come where he could feasibly face a suspension.
Worse is that the likelihood of avoiding a further seven yellow cards in 27 matches is also a steep ask considering the rate he has already picked up three. That said, the benefit Arsenal fans have is Rice accumulated only five yellow cards in his 38 Premier League matches last season.
The other benefit is the hope that should Rice reach the five-card threshold before week 19, Mikel Merino will hopefully be back to provide the much-needed depth to the midfield. The Spaniard is currently out with a shoulder injury with a return date estimated between mid-to-late October.
Against Spurs, Arteta has a choice between Jorginho and Kai Havertz to swap into the midfield for Rice. The latter would of course mean hoping that Gabriel Jesus has returned to full fitness over the break or choosing an unorthodox centre-forward option like Leandro Trossard or Raheem Sterling
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