Two Barcelona stars at suspension risk heading into Atletico Madrid clash | OneFootball

Barcelona travel to face Atletico Madrid this Saturday night, aiming for a victory that would strengthen their position at the top of the La Liga table.

It marks the start of an important run of fixtures for the Catalans heading into the decisive phase of the season.

As such, it is imperative that Hansi Flick has all his players available for selection, with squad depth set to play an important role.

Marc Bernal, Jules Kounde at suspension risk

As such, Flick must carefully manage players at risk of suspension heading into tomorrow’s encounter against Atletico Madrid. After all, up next for Barcelona in La Liga is the derby against RCD Espanyol scheduled for 11 April at Spotify Camp Nou.

As things stand, Marc Bernal and Jules Kounde are both one booking away from suspension, having accumulated four yellow cards so far this season.

One yellow away from suspension. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

If either player is cautioned against Atletico Madrid at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in tomorrow’s clash, they will miss the match against Espanyol, which will be a major blow for Barcelona.

Bernal is pretty much a guaranteed starter for Barça tomorrow, as he will continue partnering with Pedri in midfield in the continued absence of Frenkie de Jong.

Meanwhile, Kounde has recovered fully from a hamstring injury and will make his return to the squad for the game. As to whether he starts, there is still some doubt as Eric Garcia will also be back and pushing for a start.

Either way, both Bernal and Kounde will need to be careful on the disciplinary side so as to avoid getting suspended for the Catalan derby next week.

Raphinha and De Jong are also in the same disciplinary situation, but neither will be available for the match at the Metropolitano due to injury, meaning they are not at immediate risk of suspension.