Bruno Fernandes and Darwin Nunez facing possibility of two-game bans ahead of Man Utd vs Liverpool

Bruno Fernandes and Darwin Nunez will both be walking the disciplinary tightrope with one eye on Liverpool's Premier League trip to Manchester United on April 7.

Liverpool head to Old Trafford in a month's time for what will be a crucial game in the battle for the title and a top-four finish. Jurgen Klopp's side are fighting it out with Manchester City and Arsenal for top spot while United will hope to still be in the race for Champions League football.

There is plenty of football to be played before then, including an FA Cup quarter-final meet between the two, but that also means plenty of opportunity for key players Fernandes and Nunez to earn themselves a ban. Premier League rules state that receiving 10 yellow cards within the first 32 league matches will earn respective players a two-game suspension.

Both Fernandes and Nunez are currently on eight, leaving them perilously close to the threshold. There are four Premier League games to be played before the April 7 meeting at Old Trafford, which makes things very difficult for both Fernandes and Nunez.

If either receive two bookings in their next two games, then the two-game suspension would be served before United face Liverpool. However, if that 10th yellow is handed out in gameweek 30 or 31, the ban will be served during the game either as the first or second match.

Both Fernandes and Nunez are evidently prone to a yellow card and so while avoiding two bookings in the next four matches is possible, the likelihood of one or both missing the game is feasible. Should Fernandes be absent for the visit of Klopp's men then it would be the second time he has missed that fixture this season, having been suspended for the 0-0 draw in December after picking up his fifth booking against Bournemouth the prior week.

In the four league games before Liverpool's visit to Old Trafford, United host relegation candidates Everton and Sheffield United before trips to Brentford and Chelsea, which come after the March international break. Liverpool also face Everton and Sheffield United, with Sunday's clash against Manchester City and the visit of Brighton also on the cards.