What was Di Maria thinking?! Juventus star's red card means he could be suspended for AC Milan match

• Argentine elbowed Monza's Armando Izzo
• Shown straight red card
• Now faces Serie A suspension

WHAT HAPPENED? The forward lost his cool five minutes before half-time in his latest Serie A outing, as he elbowed Izzo amid a brief physical scrap. The experienced South American will now take in an untimely ban, which will be served after the international break.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: After being reduced to 10 men, Juventus suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Monza. That result has left them eighth in the table and already playing catch-up on the leaders just seven games into the 2022-23 campaign.

AND WHAT'S MORE: If Di Maria is accused of serious unsportsmanlike conduct in the referee’s report relating to his sending off, then he will be forced to sit out two games – which would rule him out of a home date with Bologna and a crunch clash with reigning champions AC Milan at San Siro on October 8. He would be banned a further game if he is deemed to have committed serious violent conduct.

STORY IN TWO PHOTOS:

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DID YOU KNOW? Against Monza, Angel Di Maria received his first red card in a league game since April 30, 2017, against Nice.

WHAT NEXT FOR DI MARIA? The 34-year-old has been included in Argentina’s latest squad, meaning that his next minutes could come in friendly dates with Honduras and Jamaica.