Three Liverpool players are all one yellow card away from missing a potential Champions League quarter-final second leg as the Reds face Paris Saint-Germain tonight
Three Liverpool players are in danger of receiving a Champions League ban as the Reds look to edge closer to the semi-finals tonight.
Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch both received bookings during the round of 16 tie against Galatasaray last month, joining Curtis Jones in having accumulated two yellow cards in the competition this season leaving them at risk of suspension. The trio would face a suspension from a potential quarter-final second leg if they are cautioned when Liverpool face Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes.
Conor Bradley also sits on two yellow cards in the Champions League but has been sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury sustained in early January. Tournament regulations state that any player who collects three yellow cards - or any subsequent odd number of bookings - from the league stage onwards will be suspended for the following match.
A clean slate is only granted upon completion of the quarter-finals, when all yellow card tallies are wiped. Paris Saint-Germain also have two players sitting on two yellow cards, with both Nuno Mendes and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia just one booking away from missing the second leg at Anfield next Tuesday.
Liverpool are under immense pressure going into the visit to the reigning European champions after their misery this season was compounded at Manchester City on Saturday. The Reds were dumped out of the FA Cup in the last-eight to their Premier League rivals after a 4-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
Arne Slot's side made an impressive start but their momentum unravelled after another defensive capitulation, when one quickly became two on the stroke of half-time. Pressure is mounting on the Dutchman with the Reds facing a serious threat of limping to the end of the season after a disastrous Premier League title defence.
The next seven days, which features the two-legged showdown with PSG and the visit of Fulham in the Premier League sandwiched between, have been viewed as pivotal for the Liverpool head coach. The seven-time Champions League winners could be out of the competition and facing an uphill task in the race for qualification.
A win for the Cottagers at Anfield on Saturday would, not only, dent Liverpool's aspirations but ignite the West London clubs with Chelsea, Brentford and Everton all vying for a European spot. Slot remains defiant despite the external pressure and noise surrounding his position in the Anfield hotseat.
He said: "The good thing is that during this year we have become quite experienced in terms of negativity because of all the setbacks we've had this season. This was a big one because it was the quarter-final, because it was a big loss, because it was against our rivals.
"But for me it felt just as bad when we were 3-2 up at Leeds and we conceded in extra time and when we were going 2-1 up against Fulham and we conceded in extra time.
"If I start to name all the setbacks we had this season, I see other people want to ask questions [in this press conference], then it's probably not possible [to list them all].
"We talk to the players in meetings but also individually. I think it makes complete sense and it is completely normal the feeling Virgil [van Dijk] shared after the game.
"That is the feeling every player had – and not only every player, but every staff member and every fan and supporter of Liverpool as well. Everyone involved in Liverpool Football Club was disappointed after that result.
"That takes one or two days before you look forward, look ahead to the next game, but before you do that you first address what we have to improve and that's quite obvious – I think everyone can see that."