Liverpool now have 5 players at risk of Champions League suspension

Liverpool’s only focus will be on progressing to the quarter-finals of the Champions League when they meet Paris Saint-Germain, but they have five players at risk of suspension.

PSG make the trip to Anfield on Tuesday night for the deciding leg of their last 16 tie, with Liverpool holding a 1-0 advantage after Harvey Elliott‘s late winner at the Parc des Princes.

All focus will, rightly, be on qualifying for the final eight of the competition, but five players are at risk of suspension if they are cautioned on Tuesday and the Reds progress.

Those players are Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott – with the exception of the No. 19, all will be anticipated to start at Anfield.

Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson and Elliott are all on two bookings from the Reds’ nine games this season, with cautions, incredibly, not wiped until after the quarter-final stage.

It is an incredibly long time for players to stay under the radar of the referee, as Mac Allister well knows as he has been booked four times already.

Under UEFA rules, suspensions occur after three cautions and any subsequent odd-numbered card (fifth, seventh, ninth, etc.) throughout the competition.

• READ: Van Dijk’s message to Anfield is simple: “We need you at your very best”

The quintet’s fate will be in the hands of referee Istvan Kovacs, the Romanian was in charge of Liverpool’s 5-2 defeat at home to Real Madrid in 2023 and PSG’s home 4-1 victory over Barcelona last season.

Except for Van Dijk, who only received his second booking at PSG, the quartet all avoided a yellow card last time out to ensure they could play at Anfield on Tuesday.

Liverpool are in for another tough test against France’s champions-elect but will be eager to harness the power of Anfield to set up a meeting with either Aston Villa or Club Brugge.

Unai Emery’s side take a 3-1 advantage into their second leg meeting against Simon Mignolet‘s side, with Villa Park to host the decider on Wednesday night.

If Liverpool progress and see any of the five abovementioned players cautioned, they will miss the first leg of the quarter-final, which we know would take place at Anfield.