Four Barcelona players at suspension risk heading into Atletico Madrid clash | OneFootball

Barcelona will lock horns with Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League this Wednesday at the Spotify Camp Nou.

This will be the fifth meeting between the two teams across all competitions, with the Blaugrana winning four of those – the latest one coming this past weekend in La Liga.

And their exceptional record since returning to the Spotify Camp Nou earlier in the season only serves to boost their chances as Hansi Flick & co. aim to kill off the tie in the first leg itself.

Barça go into the game without four players as Raphinha, Marc Bernal, and Andreas Christensen are injured, while Frenkie de Jong is still not ready to return.

Four players at suspension risk

Beyond that, there are also four Barcelona players just one yellow card away from suspension heading into Wednesday’s clash against Atletico Madrid.

Martin and Casado are one yellow away from suspension. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Indeed, Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Gerard Martin, and Marc Casado are all one caution away from earning an automatic one-match suspension for accumulation of cards in the Champions League.

It must be remembered that Lamine has already served a suspension in Europe this season. The 18-year-old winger is a certain starter for the Blaugrana against Diego Simeone’s men, along with Fermin and Martin, while Casado is likely to feature off the bench.

A yellow card to any of them would lead to a one-match ban, meaning they would stand to miss the second leg of the quarter-finals at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano next week.

At a time when the team is already without important players like Raphinha, losing someone like Lamine, Fermin, or Martin for the second leg will be a major blow. As such, the players must keep their discipline against the Colchoneros.

It is worth noting that yellow cards in the Champions League are cleared from the semi-finals onward, meaning players must navigate the next couple of matches carefully to avoid missing crucial games.