Atletico face first leg v Barcelona with 8 risking suspension | OneFootball

Atlético de Madrid face the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals this Wednesday against Barcelona. It is a match in which Simeone and his side will have to be very alert to everything that may happen, but there is one factor they already know about in advance. Atlético go into the clash against Barcelona with eight players one booking away from suspension if they are shown a yellow card, as well as Cholo Simeone himself. In other words, a total of nine Atleti members could miss the second leg.

It is worth noting, after the squad list was announced, that Pablo Barrios, who is out injured, is one of the eight players at risk and therefore will not be able to receive a yellow card. The other seven Atlético players one booking away from suspension for the return leg against Barcelona are Thiago Almada, Robin Le Normand, Clement Lenglet, Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, Matteo Ruggeri and Giuliano Simeone. As mentioned, these seven are joined by Cholo Simeone, who, if shown a card, will not be able to be on the bench at the Metropolitano.

Barcelona, also cautious

Atlético are not the only side in this situation. They do not have as many players at risk as Atleti, but four players could miss the return leg at the Metropolitano, several of them important figures in Flick’s team. We are talking about Marc Casadó, Fermín López, Gerard Martín and Lamine Yamal. All of them are crucial, but the last of those could tip the tie.

The players mentioned above who avoid a booking in the first leg will be able to play in the second leg. In addition, if they reach the semi-finals of Europe’s top competition, UEFA wipes the slate clean on yellow cards and everyone could be available, except in the event of a red card in the second leg.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.