Newcastle United are set to face Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday but three players could be worried about picking up a third yellow card in this season's competition
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe(Image: Getty Images)
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Three Newcastle United players are facing a potential suspension ahead of Wednesday's Champions League play-off first leg against Qarabag. Eddie Howe's side, who finished 12th in the league phase, make the trip to Azerbaijan looking to put one foot in the last 16 of Europe's elite club competition.
Newcastle will be looking to claim a first-leg advantage to bring back to St. James' Park, but will have to do it without a number of key players. Bruno Guimaraes, Yoane Wissa, Sven Botman, Lewis Miley, Tino Livramento, Fabian Schar and Emil Krafth are unavailable right now through injury.
Though some of those seven could be back sooner rather than later, the Magpies won't want anymore players to be ruled out of future matches. Joelinton, Malick Thiaw and Dan Burn are all walking a suspension tightrope after picking up two yellow cards in the Champions League this season.
Three yellow cards in matches before the quarter-final means an automatic one-match ban. Joelinton has been at risk of suspension since the 4-0 win against Union SG, having been booked in both of Newcastle's first two league fixtures.
Thiaw was booked against Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen, while Burn was cautioned in the curtain-raiser at home to Barcelona and the trip to Marseille in November.
With Newcastle having a two-legged play-off against Qarabag and a potential two-legged Round of 16 to navigate before the three yellow card ruling finishes, Joelinton, Thiaw and Burn - as well as others - have four matches to avoid picking up a booking and therefore a one-game Champions League suspension.
Malick Thiaw and Dan Burn are one Champions League yellow card from a suspension
Malick Thiaw and Dan Burn are one Champions League yellow card from a suspension(Image: Getty Images)
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There are a numbers of players on one yellow card, so two more before the quarter-final would result in a ban.
Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Aaron Ramsdale, Joe Willock, Anthony Elanga and Anthony Gordon are the other players that have picked up one booking in Europe's top-tier tournament this season.
Thiaw and Burn are expected to start as the centre-back pairing in Qarabag, with Botman and Schar both out. Joelinton, meanwhile, could start in midfield with Guimaraes and Miley unavailable.
After missing the last six matches, including Saturday's win at Aston Villa, Howe confirmed that Joelinton is poised to return to take on Qarabag.
"Joelinton's back in the squad, so that's a great boost for us," Howe said pre-match. "He's such an important player, such a big presence within our squad, such a real leader.
"He trained yesterday and trained well, and felt really good, so we're delighted with his return. No one else from the missing list, I think, has travelled from the last game, so we're missing quite a few players, quite a few real quality players as well.
"They're big misses for us, but we come here in good spirits from our last two games.,We will play our strongest team in the sense that we will try and win the game. There'll be no thinking of the schedule ahead; this game, in isolation, is hugely important."
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