"Barcelona have as many as four players who are only one yellow card away from an automatic suspension. The four stars in question happen to be teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, fellow academy graduates Fermin Lopez and Marc Casado, and versatile defender Gerard Martin."
"The 18-year-old rising superstar already missed the match against SK Slavia Prague after receiving three yellow cards during the league phase and later collected his fourth against FC Copenhagen. Now, another booking for him and the other three players tomorrow at St James' Park would lead to an automatic one-match suspension."
"It would then rule them out of the second leg of the Round-of-16 tie against Newcastle at the Spotify Camp Nou next week - a scenario that Flick & co. will be intent on avoiding, especially given the number of absentees through injury."
Barcelona will play Newcastle United in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 tie at St James' Park. The team faces significant challenges with several key players unavailable due to injury, including Jules Kounde, Alejandro Balde, Andreas Christensen, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi. While Gavi travelled with the squad, he lacks medical clearance to play. Manager Hansi Flick must also manage suspension risks, as four players are one yellow card away from automatic suspension: Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Marc Casado, and Gerard Martin. Yamal already has four cautions, while the other three have two each. Another booking for any of these players would result in a one-match suspension, ruling them out of the second leg at Camp Nou.
Read at Barca Universal
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