The stage is set for possibly one of the greatest UEFA Champions League round of 16 matchups in recent history as Real Madrid take on Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The first of two legs will be played tonight with the reverse fixture scheduled at the Civitas Metropolitano later this month. Given the form both teams are in, it is set to be a fascinating clash.
For Carlo Ancelotti, one big blow for tonight’s game will be the absence of Jude Bellingham who received his third yellow card of the European season against Manchester City and now serves a one-game suspension.
There is, however, a bigger worry over the reverse fixture as relayed by AS in a recent update.
The Spanish outlet brings to light that five players are one yellow card away from suspension and will thus miss the all-important reverse fixture against the Colchoneros should they be booked.
The five players in question are Antonio Rudiger, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Luka Modric and surprisingly Endrick who managed to pick up 2 bookings in just the 100 minutes he played in the competition.
Notably, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is also just one card away from being suspended from the sidelines after he was shown yellow cards against Stuttgart and Brest. Eder Militao also finds himself on two yellow cards but is out for the season.
The UEFA Champions League imposes suspensions for players’ third, fifth, seventh and ninth yellow cards and the tally adds on until the quarterfinal stage.
Notably, if a player picks up his final yellow card of the aforementioned cycle in the second leg of the quarterfinal, he will still miss the first leg of the semifinal stage.
All five players at risk tonight will thus look to exercise caution and ensure their participation in the second leg. Given that their tally adds on until the quarterfinal stage, however, it looks inevitable that they face the suspension at some point.