FC Barcelona will be aiming to continue their winning momentum when they take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League at the Spotify Camp Nou on Tuesday night.
The Blaugrana are currently 18th in the table, with chances of securing a top-eight finish hanging by a thread. So, winning the remaining league phase matches becomes extremely pivotal for Hansi Flick & co.
Yellow alert at Barcelona
Given the importance of the match against Eintracht, a full-strength line-up is expected to take the field on Tuesday at the Spotify Camp Nou.
However, the manager must keep in mind that four players are one booking away from suspension and would miss the next European match against Slavia Prague on 21 January.
The players in question are Frenkie de Jong, Marc Casado, Fermin Lopez and Lamine Yamal. All four have two yellow cards in the Champions League and are on the brink of an automatic one-game suspension if they pick up another booking.
Fermin Lopez of FC Barcelona
Fermin Lopez is on two yellow cards. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
De Jong and Lamine are very much guaranteed to start in Tuesday’s match against Eintracht Frankfurt, while Fermin also has high chances of featuring.
They, along with Casado – should he get a chance, will have to proceed with caution if they want to remain available for the next Champions League fixture.
In addition to the four players already mentioned, Jules Kounde, Gerard Martin, Alejandro Balde and the injured Dani Olmo have each received one yellow card in the Champions League so far. If they are booked again, they will join the list of players at risk of suspension.
Ronald Araujo was sent off for a second booking in the last match against Chelsea and would not be available for Flick even if he were fit to face Eintracht. The defender remains sidelined as he continues to recover mentally from that dismissal at Stamford Bridge.
Eintracht, for their part, have no players in danger of suspension for their visit to Barcelona.