Newcastle United will be without Joelinton for their visit to Ipswich Town on Saturday (kick-off 3pm), as the midfielder serves a one-match suspension under Premier League regulations. Several other Newcastle players, including Sandro Tonali, are also on the brink of a ban.

Joelinton received his fifth yellow card of the Premier League season during Newcastle’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Leicester City at St James’ Park last weekend. Consequently, he will miss the trip to Portman Road. Meanwhile, Tonali and Fabian Schär, who have each accumulated four bookings this season, must avoid another yellow card in the next three matches—against Ipswich, Aston Villa, and Manchester United—to escape suspension.

Premier League Suspension Rules

Under Premier League rules, any player receiving five bookings within the first 19 matches of the season is required to serve a one-match ban. After reaching this threshold, the player’s suspension limit is raised to 10 yellow cards, with a subsequent two-match ban for exceeding this mark over the course of the first 32 games. A total of 15 bookings in a season results in a three-match ban, though no Premier League player has ever reached that tally.

Dan Burn has already served a suspension for five yellow cards this season, meaning his next threshold for a ban is 10 bookings.

Newcastle Players at Risk

In addition to Joelinton’s suspension, Tonali and Schär face the immediate risk of a ban, while Bruno Guimarães and Lewis Hall are each two bookings away from suspension. Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff, Jacob Murphy, Lloyd Kelly, and Nick Pope have two yellow cards apiece and would need to be booked in all three remaining matches of 2024 to face suspension.

Callum Wilson and Anthony Gordon, both on one booking, are now safe from suspension for the current 19-match threshold as they cannot accumulate enough cautions in the remaining games.

Ipswich Town Also Affected

Ipswich Town will also be without a key player on Saturday, as top scorer Liam Delap serves a one-match suspension for his fifth yellow card of the season. The striker was booked following the full-time whistle in Ipswich’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, during which he scored his sixth goal of the season.

Delap, who joined Ipswich for £20 million from Manchester City, has been a crucial part of their attack, registering six goals in 16 appearances. His booking, which came during a post-match confrontation after Ipswich’s stoppage-time winner, was confirmed by the Premier League, ruling him out of Saturday’s clash against Newcastle.

Both teams will now have to adjust their strategies for the weekend encounter, with key players missing due to the league’s strict disciplinary regulations.