Which players are a booking away from missing the final group game of the Champions League?

As the Champions League group stage reaches its pinnacle, teams are gearing up for crucial clashes that could determine their fate in the competition. Amidst the excitement, several players find themselves walking a disciplinary tightrope, just one yellow card away from missing the final group game. Those 50:50 tackles can appear a whole lot different when a suspension is on the line.

Here’s a comprehensive look at the players who will be treading cautiously in the upcoming Tuesday fixtures.

Champions League: yellow card tightrope

Lazio vs Celtic (15:45 ET)

In the Lazio vs Celtic encounter, Castellanos and Rovella from Lazio are on thin ice, facing suspension if they receive a booking. Meanwhile, Castellanos’s counterpart at Celtic, Alderweireld, also needs to be cautious as he risks missing the next match if he sees yellow.

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Antwerp (15:45 ET)

Sikan of Shakhtar Donetsk is the player under scrutiny in this fixture. A booking for him will result in a suspension from the subsequent match. On the Antwerp side, Alderweireld is in a similar predicament.

Feyenoord vs Atlético Madrid (18:00 ET)

Nieuwkoop of Feyenoord needs to be careful, as a booking would see him miss the next match. Lino from Atlético Madrid is in a similar situation.

Paris vs Newcastle (18:00 ET)

The Paris vs Newcastle clash sees Dembélé, Hakimi, and Hernández from Paris facing suspension if they receive a yellow card. Newcastle’s Bruno Guimarães is also in a precarious position, with potentially a key game still to be played in the Group of Death.

Milan vs Dortmund (18:00 ET)

Krunić of Milan is one booking away from missing the subsequent match. For Dortmund, Emre Can and Schlotterbeck find themselves in a similar situation.

Man City vs Leipzig (18:00 ET)

In the clash between Man City and Leipzig, Simakan of Leipzig is the only one with concerns over a yellow.

Young Boys vs Crvena zvezda (Red Star) (18:00 ET)

Benito and Camara from Young Boys face suspension if they are booked in this one. Meanwhile, IB Hwang, Ivanić, Mijailović, Rodić, and Stamenic of Crvena zvezda are also walking the disciplinary tightrope.

Barcelona vs Porto (18:00 ET)

Ronald Araújo of Barcelona is one booking away from missing the next match, adding an extra layer of caution to his performance in what is a key game for their qualification.

As these players step onto the field, the threat of suspension looms large. The fine line between aggression and discipline becomes all the more crucial in these high-stakes encounters, with a single yellow card potentially having far-reaching consequences for the players and their teams as they dream of Champions League progression.

We’ll be back tomorrow to assess which of these players, or others, have been ruled out of the final group game, and will take a look at Wednesday’s Champions League tightrope walkers...