Liverpool manager Arne Slot could be facing a potential suspension nightmare for the quarter-finals of the Champions League, as five players are at risk of a one-game ban.
The Reds are far from home and hosed in their last-16 clash with Paris Saint-Germain, despite leaving the French capital as 1-0 victors in last week’s first leg thanks to a late strike from substitute Harvey Elliott.
The England Under-21 international punished the Ligue 1 champions for their wastefulness at the Parc des Princes, although Liverpool were also indebted to Alisson Becker, who made a marvellous nine saves.
The Reds’ number one and Slot could both break Champions League records when Luis Enrique‘s side visit Anfield for the return fixture this week, as Liverpool bid to advance to a quarter-final with either Club Brugge or Aston Villa.
Only Tyler Morton, Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley will be missing for Tuesday’s game, as Cody Gakpo is available for selection following a knock, but Slot could be without five regular first-teamers for any potential quarter-final.
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Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson and Elliott are all on two Champions League yellow cards, and a third on Tuesday would see them incur a one-match suspension, while Alexis Mac Allister is on four and will be banned with a fifth.
Yellow cards that do not result in a suspension in the Champions League are not wiped until after the quarter-finals, meaning all three could be walking a tightrope for the next three games.
Elliott, Robertson, Mac Allister and Konate all risked a ban for the second leg against PSG as well, but the quartet managed to avoid picking up a milestone booking at the Parc des Princes.
Meanwhile, Van Dijk was cautioned in Paris and is therefore now walking a tightrope for Tuesday’s tie, where Amara Nallo will also be available again after his first-leg suspension.
Mac Allister has already served one European ban this season, missing the matchday six win over Girona after entering the referee’s book three times earlier in the league phase.
How could Liverpool navigate nightmare suspension scenario?
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As PSG ran Liverpool ragged in the first leg and can be expected to do the same on Tuesday with progression on the line, it would not be a shock to see a few bookings brandished.
Elliott’s prospective suspension would be the least troubling given that Dominik Szoboszlai is ahead of him in the pecking order, while Curtis Jones can fill in for Mac Allister in a deeper role.
Kostas Tsimikas for Robertson would also be a like-for-like swap in defence, but if both Konate and Van Dijk are cautioned on Tuesday evening, Slot may find himself in a pickle defensively.
Jarell Quansah would certainly slot into the backline, but Gomez’s absence means that the Liverpool boss would not have another senior centre-back option, so Wataru Endo would likely be the next best thing.
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