Five Premier League players now walking a disciplinary tightrope

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Chelsea, Liverpool, Watford and West Bromwich Albion stars all feature.

It may be the second international break of the season but only seven games have passed in the Premier League and already some players are going to have to watch their step.

Five players in the top flight are now on four yellow cards, meaning one further caution in a game will see them receive a one-match ban for domestic games.

Here are those five players:

Diego Costa (Chelsea)

The Chelsea forward always plays on the edge, and despite him somehow never seeing a red card his accumulation of yellows could prove costly to Antonio Conte’s side at some stage this season.

There are two big games coming up for the Blues at home. The first he will definitely be available for when Chelsea host Leicester City on 15 October, but they will want him to keep his discipline in check during that game so he can be available for the clash against Manchester United the following Sunday.

If he comes through those games, he may feature in the League Cup tie against West Ham United, but the league games are still not easy after that when they face Southampton and Everton. In those types of games, you would want your best forward available.

Jonny Evans & Claudio Yacob (West Bromwich Albion)

Tony Pulis likes his side to be very strong at the back, but it can come at a cost and both Evans and Yacob are now walking a tightrope ahead of a cluster of big games for the Baggies.

The next four Premier League games see West Brom take on three of the league’s top four when they host Tottenham immediately after the international break, followed by a trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool with Manchester City visiting The Hawthorns the following week.

What follows that is a trip to Leicester City. They may not be flying like they were last season but a visit to the reigning champions is never easy, and this is a run of fixtures that Pulis would certainly like a full compliment of his defenders available for.

As for Yacob, he is a steely competitor that can break up the play very effectively, and even some of the league’s best find him a tricky customer to deal with. He’d be a huge miss in any of the upcoming games.

Jordan Henderson (Liverpool)

The one thing that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will be glad of is that his captain will be available for the encounter with fierce rivals Manchester United after the international break. The last time those two sides met at Anfield, Henderson picked up a second minute booking in a 2-0 win during their Europa League last-16 encounter – Klopp will hope that only one of those comes true.

Henderson has rebounded from a very disappointing, injury-hit season last term on a personal level, and appears to have reinvented himself in a deeper role under Klopp, which has come with a collection of bookings. Though there is cover in that position, another booking will be unwelcome as Liverpool look to keep up their good start to the season with a run of games that features West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace and Watford in the Premier League – as well as an EFL Cup tie with Tottenham Hotspur before the next international break.

José Holebas (Watford)

There is a run of games coming up for Watford where they will probably fancy their chances of getting a good points haul on the board – improving on their 11th place position in the Premier League.

Holebas has featured in every game so far and Walter Mazzarri will want his side at full strength when they take on Middlesbrough, Swansea City and Hull City when the domestic season resumes.

These games are prior to a trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool; the side that has scored the joint highest amount of league goals so far this season. It is the type of game that you will want all defensive and versatile options available to you.