Arsenal close to dream Kai Havertz scenario in Liverpool and Man City title race

Any worries for Arsenal and Kai Havertz over a possible suspension are almost over with the midfielder only having to overcome one more hurdle to avoid a two-game ban.

Havertz has been a key player for Mikel Arteta’s side this season. He has particularly stepped up in the last few weeks, having scored five goals and provided four assists in his last seven games.

He could therefore have a big say in what will be a title race that goes down to the wire. Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Brighton on Saturday took them back to the top of the table, ahead of Liverpool’s meeting with Manchester United on Sunday. There is currently just one point separating all three sides at the top of the table.

Therefore all of the teams are looking for any advantage that they can get that could just make a difference. Losing a player through suspension for any team at this stage of the season would be far from ideal.

Havertz currently has eight yellow cards with 10 cautions resulting in a two-game suspension. The Arsenal man is however just one game away from not having to worry about that between now and the end of the season.

In the Premier League, yellow card accumulation is wiped after the 32nd game, meaning that unless Havertz picks up two yellows, resulting in a red in next Sunday’s Premier League game against Aston Villa, he will not face suspension. That will be a big boost to the Gunners, given the player’s form in the last few weeks.

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For Aston Villa, the threshold came just a bit too late. Influential midfielder Douglas Luiz picked up his 10th yellow card of the campaign in