Aston Villa have been dealt a significant blow ahead of their clash with Arsenal, as Douglas Luiz will be suspended after picking up his tenth yellow card of the season in Saturday's 3-3 draw with Brentford.
Under Premier League rules, players who accumulate ten bookings within their club's first 32 games must serve a two-match suspension. This means that Luiz will also miss the match against Bournemouth on April 21.
The influential midfielder, who is in contention for Villa's player of the season, was booked in the seventh minute of added time against Brentford for a foul on Mathias Jorgensen, in what was essentially the last action of the game.
Had he managed to avoid a booking for just a few more seconds, even if he had received his tenth yellow card of the season against Arsenal, he would not have faced a ban as it would have been Villa's 33rd league game of the season.
Luiz previously served a one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation in December, when he reached five cautions before Villa's 19th league game of the season. Three of his yellow cards have come in his last four Premier League appearances, reports Birmingham Live.
The loss of Luiz, who has contributed ten goals and ten assists this season, will be a major setback for Unai Emery and Villa, who are currently just three points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham having played two more games. If Spurs beat Nottingham Forest tomorrow, Villa will drop to fifth place.
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