Watford plan to appeal Troy Deeney’s red card from Monday’s match with Arsenal but in doing so run the risk of increasing the striker’s three-game ban.

Deeney was sent off during the 1-0 defeat at Vicarage Road for elbowing Lucas Torreira.

The striker protested his innocence but was shown a straight red card by referee Craig Pawson after his linesman alerted him to the incident.

Deeney is now set to miss the match at Huddersfield on Saturday and next week’s home games against Southampton and Wolves.

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Any appeal by the club would be heard by an Independent Regulatory Commission and there is a chance they could increase the ban if they decide the claim ‘had no prospect of success’ and/or ‘amounts to an abuse of process’.

‘Frivolous’ appeals are rare. One example was back in 2010, when Rio Ferdinand, then with Manchester United, had a three-match ban increased to four after contesting a charge of deliberately striking Hull City’s Craig Fagan.