Mike Dean has been given the nod to officiate Manchester City against Chelsea on Sunday – and it could be the perfect opportunity for him to reach his milestone of red cards.
The Premier League’s most experienced official has given players their marching orders on 99 previous occasions – and if history is anything to go by, his odds to send someone off in this highly-anticipated fixture will be shorter than ever.
Dean has given more reds to Manchester City and Chelsea players than any other club, with nine having been dished out to both sides in his 19 years of officiating.
Newcastle are second on his disciplinary hit-list with seven, followed by Arsenal on six and Tottenham, West Brom and Stoke all level on five.
When he eventually sends someone off, he will be the first referee in history to have reached triple figures of reds in England’s top-flight.
The last time Dean brandished a red card to a City or Chelsea player was during the busy Christmas period – where he sent off Fabian Delph as Pep Guardiola’s side were defeated by Leicester – his 98th dismissal.
His latest came when he gave Christopher Schindler his marching orders for Huddersfield against Burnley in January.
And the 50-year-old is miles ahead of his officiating counterparts in terms of reds given – with Phil Dowd next on the list having brandished 67.
Dean has also given a red to the same player twice on five different occasions.
The most notable names on that list is former Liverpool and Chelsea striker Fernando Torres and Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny.
Ex-City stars Andy Cole and Richard Dunne, along with former Newcastle defender Mike Williamson have also seen red from Dean twice.