All eyes will be on the referees this weekend after a record-breaking round of fixtures for the Premier League in terms of yellow cards.
The 14 shown by Anthony Taylor in Chelsea’s win over Bournemouth beat the previous high mark for the most bookings recorded in a single Premier League match.
And when nine cautions were dished out before 50 minutes were on the clock in Sunday’s North London derby, it seemed as though the record would go again.
Overall, there were 65 cautions across the 10 fixtures - another new high - leading many observers to pose the same question that former England boss Graham Taylor once did of the officials: “What have they been told?”
No one can be sure if a new directive has been issued to referees in England’s top-flight, but the card markets will attract plenty of attention from betters again.
We have analysed the match-ups and officials across three of this weekend’s Premier League games to see if we can find some clues as to where the cards could be cast around like confetti.
Sam Barrott - West Ham v Chelsea (Sat 12:30)
Chelsea and Bournemouth face Football Association fines of £25,000 for picking up more than six yellow cards in a match - with eight Blues players cautioned in last Saturday’s clash on the south coast.
Enzo Maresca’s men might be on their best behaviour this week because of it - or it could be more of the same as they head to London Stadium for a derby against West Ham.
Last season’s corresponding fixture featured seven yellow cards with Naif Aguerd eventually sent off after his second of the game.
So it seems a bit unusual that Sam Barrott, in only his second year as a top-fight official, should get the assignment.
Barrott has issued 19 yellow cards in his first three refereeing appointments of the campaign.
Tip - Back Over 4.5 Cards in West Ham v Chelsea @ 1.83 with 1xBet
Tony Harrington - Liverpool v Bournemouth (Sat 15:00)
Only two clubs in the Premier League have committed more fouls than Bournemouth this season and they have already accumulated 12 cards through their opening four games.
Andoni Iraola’s men go to Anfield this weekend - where they can expect to spend long spells without the ball against Arne Slot’s Liverpool.
Referee Tony Harrington will be under pressure from the home fans to intervene if the Cherries take an overly physical approach.
No team has seen more cards awarded to their opponents this season than Liverpool, so there could be profit in backing Bournemouth to finish with at least two more cautions than their hosts.
Tip - Back Bournemouth -1 Card Handicap @ 2.75 with 1xBet
Lewis Cook has committed the most fouls of any Premier League player this term with 13 in total through the first four fixtures.
That is one foul every 27 minutes played, but team-mate Justin Kluivert can beat that as the Dutch forward’s 12 fouls have come in just 263 minutes on the pitch at an average of one every 22 minutes.
Tip - Justin Kluivert to be booked @ 5.00 with 1xBet
Michael Oliver - Manchester City v Arsenal (Sunday 16:30)
The biggest game of the weekend takes place at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday when Manchester City and Arsenal, title rivals for the past two seasons, lock horns once more.
The average number of cards on this fixture over the past two campaigns is 4.5 and that is exactly where the oddsmakers have drawn the line for this one.
Michael Oliver will be on the whistle this time and he has a reputation for letting games flow.
The North East official has issued 21 cautions in four games this season at an average of more than five per outing.
He handed out five yellows when Manchester City won at West Ham late last month, but only four when the Gunners took the points at Aston Villa the week before.
Tip - Back Over 4.5 Cards in Manchester City v Arsenal @ 12.00 with 1xBet
England midfielder Declan Rice returns from suspension to feature for the Gunners this weekend.
He has been carded in each of his last two matches when Oliver has been the man in the middle.
Tip - Declan Rice to be booked @ 4.50 with 1xBet