Fulham £9m linchpin risks Everton suspension in upcoming Aston Villa clash

Fulham midfielder Sasa Lukic is one yellow card away from a one-match ban and will have to stay out of the referee's book for weeks in order to avoid any potential suspension.

Premier League rules stipulate that any player who picks up five yellow cards in the opening 19 fixtures will be slapped with a one-match ban as a punishment. There are four top flight stars across the league who will be out of action in the first set of matches following the international break for exactly that reason.

Chelsea men Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana join Nottingham Forest man James Ward-Prowse and Southampton's Jack Stephens on the sidelines. Fulham star Lukic is just one booking away from that punishment.

The 28-year-old has been a key part of Marco Silva's impressive Cottagers side that sits eighth in the table. The London outfit has lost just two of their opening seven fixtures, picking up wins against Leicester City, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.

Silva has relied on Lukic in the centre of midfield in a campaign that sees the Portuguese coach navigating the exit of £47 million midfield star Joao Palhinha. The influential defensive midfielder swapped Fulham for Bayern Munich this summer.

Lukic runs risk of ban for Everton trip

Lukic has stepped up to the plate and started every Premier League fixture so far. However, in four back-to-back games against Ipswich Town, West Ham, the Magpies and Forest, he received a yellow card.

Given his defensive role in midfield, it seems unlikely that Lukic will make it to the home fixture against Bournemouth at the end of December without picking up the fifth yellow card that will result in a suspension. Having played the full 90 minutes against Manchester City without a booking, Lukic is eligible to play against Aston Villa at Craven Cottage next Saturday.

Should he see yellow again, the player will then not be available for the trip to Everton on October 26. Clashes against Brentford, Crystal Palace and Wolves then follow for Fulham.

Silva’s use of ‘fantastic guy’ Lukic

Having signed Lukic from Torino for around £9 million in January 2023, Silva has slowly given the player more and more game time. Asked about his management of minutes last season, Silva said: “We tried to anticipate his move to Fulham [before] last January. We were following him, and it was a good moment to sign him, to give him the time to adapt.

“Last season he had some moments but was not regular in the team. He was probably our best player during pre-season, playing as a No6. He’s a fantastic guy to work with. He’s had enough patience to wait for his moment, and now he’s playing really well.”