Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonaliplaceholder image
Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali | Getty Images
Four Newcastle United players are at risk of a Champions League ban, if they progress past Barcelona.
The Magpies drew 1-1 with Barcelona at St James’ Park last Tuesday after Lamine Yamal’s last minute penalty cancelled out Harvey Barnes’ 86th minute opener.
It means whoever wins tonight will progress into the last eight and face Atletico Madrid following their two-legged win over Tottenham Hotspur.
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Sandro Tonali and three others at risk of Champions League ban
Sandro Tonali was shown a yellow card in the first leg against Barcelona, meaning he is just one booking away from a suspension in the Champions League.
Should the Italian be booked in the second leg and Newcastle progress, he would miss the first leg of the quarter-final.
Joe Willock was also booked after coming on as a stoppage-time substitute in the match and is also one yellow card away from a one-match ban.
Joelinton and Dan Burn are also at risk of suspension should Newcastle progress, having been booked twice in the Champions League already this season.
Malick Thiaw is the only Newcastle player to serve a one-match Champions League ban this campaign. The German missed the second-leg play-off win over Qarabag after accumulating his third booking in the first-leg victory.
Bruno Guimaraes, Aaron Ramsdale, Anthony Elanga and Anthony Gordon are the only other Newcastle players who have been shown a yellow card in the Champions League this season.
Those players would have to be booked a further two times to face a ban, though again, that would only be relevant if Newcastle were to progress.
Yellow cards are wiped after the quarter-final stage to ensure players cannot miss the final because of an accumulation of bookings.
Sandro Tonali illness update after Chelsea absence
First and foremost, the Magpies will hope to have Tonali available after he missed the 1-0 win at Chelsea on Saturday through illness.
Illness has been running through Newcastle’s squad in recent with Jacob Ramsey, Nick Woltemade and Anthony Gordon just three players known to have been suffering from the bug.
Ramsey was forced off at half-time against Everton, while Woltemade missed the win over Manchester United. Gordon was named on the bench against Barcelona in the Champions League before Tonali missed the trip to Stamford Bridge entirely.
When asked if Tonali would be available against Barcelona, Howe said: “Yeah, we hope so. He was feeling unwell after training [Friday].
“It quickly became apparent that he wouldn't be able to travel. So, fingers crossed it follows a similar pattern with the other illnesses we've had [and] it's quite a quick recovery.
“There's been something going around now for two to three weeks in the squad. Fingers crossed, it's the same.”
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