Checkout Man City’s Upcoming Fixtures, As Pep Guardiola Faces Two Matches Ban

Pep Guardiola is set to face a ban for two matches.

NewsRain Nigeria reports that Pep Guardiola will receive a two-game touchline ban after the Manchester City boss was booked for the sixth time this season during the FA Cup win over Newcastle.

Guardiola was yellow-carded for fourth official Lewis Smith on the touchline at St James’ Park after Kieran Trippier had felled Jeremy Doku, prompting referee Sam Barrott to act.

Managers are given a one-game touchline ban for every three yellow cards they receive, and new regulations introduced this season mean a sixth yellow card results in a two-game ban.

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Guardiola will be absent from the touchline for City’s games against West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday and the FA Cup quarter-final in the first weekend of April.

However, he is free to remain in the dugout for the Carabao Cup final on March 22, which is between City and their Premier League title rivals Arsenal, even though it is played after the West Ham game and before the FA Cup fixture.

According to the FA guidelines, ‘play-off matches [semi-finals and finals] in the EFL and National League System, as well as finals of the Emirates FA Cup, EFL Cup, EFL Trophy are exempt from any automatic touchline ban for the accumulation of cautions by technical area occupants’.

Reacting to his two-game touchline suspension, Guardiola said in his press conference: “I will tell you something – we have all the records in this country, all of them, despite everything. We have the record of the manager with the most yellow cards. I want all records, and now I have them.

“Two-game ban now, and I will go on holidays the next two games. There are things that I cannot understand after 10 years.

“Review the action. Of course, I’m going to defend Doku and all my teams.”

Man City’s upcoming fixtures

Matches where Guardiola has a touchline ban are in bold

• March 11: Real Madrid (A), Champions League last 16 first leg, kick-off 8 pm
• March 14: West Ham (A), Premier League, kick-off 8 pm
• March 17: Real Madrid (H), Champions League last 16 second leg, kick-off 8 pm
• March 22: Arsenal (N), Carabao Cup final, live on Sky Sports, kick-off 4.30 pm
• April 4/5: Opponent TBC – FA Cup quarter-final