Barcelona will lock horns with Atletico Madrid within the first leg of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League this Wednesday on the Spotify Camp Nou.
This would be the fifth assembly between the 2 groups throughout all competitions, with the Blaugrana successful 4 of these – the newest one coming this previous weekend in La Liga.
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And their distinctive report since returning to the Spotify Camp Nou earlier within the season solely serves to spice up their possibilities as Hansi Flick & co. intention to kill off the tie within the first leg itself.
Barça go into the sport with out 4 gamers as Raphinha, Marc Bernal, and Andreas Christensen are injured, whereas Frenkie de Jong continues to be not able to return.
4 gamers at suspension threat
Past that, there are additionally 4 Barcelona gamers only one yellow card away from suspension heading into Wednesday’s conflict in opposition to Atletico Madrid.
Martin and Casado are one yellow away from suspension. (Picture by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Photographs)
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Certainly, Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Gerard Martin, and Marc Casado are all one warning away from incomes an automated one-match suspension for accumulation of playing cards within the Champions League.
It have to be remembered that Lamine has already served a suspension in Europe this season. The 18-year-old winger is a sure starter for the Blaugrana in opposition to Diego Simeone’s males, together with Fermin and Martin, whereas Casado is more likely to function off the bench.
A yellow card to any of them would result in a one-match ban, which means they might stand to overlook the second leg of the quarter-finals on the Riyadh Air Metropolitano subsequent week.
At a time when the crew is already with out necessary gamers like Raphinha, shedding somebody like Lamine, Fermin, or Martin for the second leg can be a significant blow. As such, the gamers should preserve their self-discipline in opposition to the Colchoneros.
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It’s value noting that yellow playing cards within the Champions League are cleared from the semi-finals onward, which means gamers should navigate the subsequent couple of matches rigorously to keep away from lacking essential video games.