Liverpool and Galatasaray both have players who are running the risk of a Champions League ban on Wednesday evening
Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike, Galatasaray's Mario Lemina, Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk, Galatasaray's Abdulkerim Bardakci, Galatasaray's Davinson Sanchez and Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate (left-right). Nick Potts/PA Wire.(Image: PA)
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Three Liverpool players run the risk of picking up a Champions League suspension when the Reds aim to secure place in the quarter-finals this evening.
Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch both picked up bookings in the 1-0 round of 16 first leg defeat at Galatasaray in Istanbul last week to join Curtis Jones on having accrued two yellow cards in the competition this season.
It means the trio would be banned from a potential quarter-final first leg should they pick up a caution when the teams meet in the Anfield return.
Conor Bradley also has two bookings in the Champions League but has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee problem suffered in early January.
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Competition rules dictate any player who receives three yellow cards - or any subsequent odd number of bookings - from the league stage onwards is banned for the next game. An amnesty only arrives on completion of the quarter-finals when all yellow card totals expire.
As well as having supporters banned by UEFA for the game at Anfield following incidents in the play-off match at Juventus last month, Galatasaray will be missing suspended centre-back Davison Sanchez after he picked up a third booking of the competition against Liverpool last week.
The Turkish side have a host of players one caution away from a ban. Goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, defenders Ismail Jackobs and Abdulkerim Bardakci and forwards Roland Sallai and Victor Osimhen have all been cautioned twice in the competition this season for Galatasaray, while January loan signing Noa Lang was booked twice for parent club Napoli.
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