How Yellow Cards Work in Champions League As Vinicius, Bellingham Near Suspension

• Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham are among the players one card from a suspension
• The Champions League quarter-finals will return with a couple of players on the edge
• Sports Brief walks you through the yellow card rules and the players on the verge of suspension

The 2023/2024 Champions League season will resume tonight with a host of blockbuster quarter-final fixtures on the cards.

There was some disquiet after the Round of 16 draw due to 'low-key' fixtures, but the tournament is set to go a level higher after heavyweights were drawn against each other in the last 8.

Arsenal will play their perennial tormentors, Bayern Munich, while Real Madrid will face Manchester City for the third season in a row. Other fixtures include Barcelona playing Paris Saint-Germain while Atletico Madrid play Borussia Dortmund.

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But amidst the excitement of the mouthwatering fixtures, some players will be walking the tightrope of missing the second leg of the games should they get yellow-carded in this week's round of fixtures.

How yellow cards work in Champions League

UEFA amended its yellow card rules in the 2014/2015 season, where all the bookings were wiped out after the quarter-final stage. This meant that a player could not miss the final due to accumulated yellow cards.

Xabi Alonso, currently making waves as manager, famously missed the 2014 final due to yellow cards in previous fixtures, as captured by Bleacher Report.

Under the new rules, a player will be suspended for one game if he accumulates three yellow cards in the competition, from qualifying rounds to group stages and Round of 16 fixtures.

Afterwards, a player will also be suspended for one game if he reaches an odd number of yellow cards, five or seven, after the initial suspension.

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A point to note is that despite the yellow cards being wiped out when a team gets to the semi-final, a player will still be suspended for the first leg of the semi-final if he gets a yellow card that results in suspension in the second leg of the quarter-final.

Players who are one card away from suspension

With that in mind, who are the players who are a booking away from missing the second leg of the quarter-final or the first leg of the semi-final?

Arsenal vs Bayern Munich

Mikel Arteta will be wary of Declan Rice or Kai Havertz getting booked, while their opponents, Bayern Munich, have Leon Goretzka and Alphonso Davies on the red line.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City

Carlo Ancelotti will similarly be scratching his head with his star players Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham on the list, which also has Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga. Manchester City only has Ruben Dias.

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Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain

Barcelona has the most players: João Félix, Ferran Torres, Ronald Araujo, Lamine Yamal, Frenkie De Jong, Sergi Roberto, and Andreas Christensen.

Achraf Hakimi will serve his suspension when PSG travel to Camp Nou, while Manuel Ugarte, Milian Skriniar and Lucas Hernandez are a card away from missing out for Luis Enrique.

Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund

Alvaro Morata is on Atletico Madrid's list alongside Stefan Savic, Samuel Lino, Mario Hermoso and captain Koke, while only Matt Hummels is on Borussia Dortmund's list.

Rudiger's warning to Haaland

Sports Brief has also reported that Antonio Rudiger has sent Erling Haaland a warning ahead of Real Madrid's Champions League meeting with Manchester City.

The former Chelsea defender was on the losing side last season when Manchester City saw them off in the semi-final before winning their maiden Champions League title.

Rudiger has reiterated his desire to make things right against the striker who outscored everyone in Europe last season.