Arsenal have three players at risk of a yellow-card suspension on Wednesday night, as they look to eliminate PSV Eindhoven and reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
LONDON, ENGLAND: Raheem Sterling of Arsenal during the Carabao Cup Quarter Final match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on December 18, 2024. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Arsenal’s Champions League last-16 second leg match against PSV Eindhoven will hopefully be a relatively low-stakes affair, with the Gunners already holding a 7-1 advantage from the away game in the Netherlands.
Yet the Gunners will want to be careful of picking up any suspensions, with either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid waiting for Mikel Arteta’s side in the next round.
UEFA rules dictate that players will be suspended for one match after picking up their third yellow card of the tournament, and Arsenal have three players on two yellows before Wednesday’s match.
EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS - MARCH 04: Jurrien Timber of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 first leg match between PSV and Arsenal FC at PSV Stadion on March 04, 2025 in Eindhoven, Netherlands. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Raheem Sterling, Jurrien Timber, and Gabriel Martinelli are all on two yellow cards so far. Arteta has suggested Ben White could come into the team on Wednesday, which would keep Timber safe for at least part of the match, but the other two are likely to feature.
Another point to note is that anyone who still hasn’t picked up one yellow card after Wednesday’s game will guarantee avoiding a yellow-card suspension for the remainder of the tournament.
Even if they were subsequently booked in both legs of the quarter-finals, the yellows are wiped after that, so it would be impossible to reach three before the final.
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 14: Gabriel of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Everton FC at Emirates Stadium on December 14, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Anyone who has been booked once (which is Partey, Raya, Merino, Rice, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Calafiori, Jesus, and White) will have to continue to be careful. Two more yellows in any of the next three games would mean a ban.
The yellow cards are only wiped after the quarter-finals, so a third yellow in the quarter-final second leg does mean a suspension for the semi-final first leg. If Arsenal can make it that far.
As usual, a red card will mean an automatic suspension for at least one game, and that ban can be extended for more.
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