The Brighton stars walking a suspension tightrope ahead of Tottenham and West Ham

After 18 matches, Albion captain Dunk and midfielder Gilmour have four yellow cards to their name – as does winger Kaoru Mitoma.

With the Japanese international out for at least a month with an ankle injury, he has no chance of picking up a suspension against Tottenham on Thursday night but the other two can.

Premier League rules state that players who collect five top-flight yellow cards inside the opening 19 games will get a one-match ban.

That ban is competition-specific, meaning it has to be served in the Premier League and doesn’t pertain to the FA Cup, Carabao Cup, or in Europe.

Therefore, if England international Dunk or Scottish star Gilmour pick up a booking against Spurs at the Amex, they will miss the Seagulls’ trip to West Ham on January 2.

Carlos Baleba, Facundo Buonanotte, Igor Julio, James Milner, and Pascal Gross have three yellow cards but they won't pick up a ban unless they get a red card against Tottenham, or in any other matches going forward.