Galatasaray Handed Double Blow as Liverpool Trio Face Suspension Risk

Liverpool could be without key players for a potential UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg, with three members of their squad facing suspension ahead of tonight’s decisive clash against Galatasaray.

Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch were both booked during last week’s 1–0 round-of-16 first-leg defeat in Istanbul, joining Curtis Jones on two yellow cards in the competition this season.

As a result, the trio are just one booking away from suspension and would miss a prospective quarter-final first leg if cautioned in the return fixture at Anfield.

Conor Bradley is also on two yellow cards in the Champions League, but the defender has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury sustained in early January.

UEFA regulations state that any player who accumulates three yellow cards—along with any subsequent odd-numbered bookings—will be suspended for the next match. Yellow card totals are only reset after the completion of the quarter-final stage.

Galatasaray, meanwhile, have been dealt a double setback. In addition to having a section of their supporters banned by UEFA following incidents during last month’s play-off tie against Juventus, they will also be without centre-back Davinson Sánchez, who is suspended after receiving his third booking of the campaign in the first leg against Liverpool.

The Turkish side also have several players at risk of suspension. Uğurcan Çakır, İsmail Jakobs and Abdülkerim Bardakcı, along with forwards Roland Sallai and Victor Osimhen, have all collected two yellow cards in the competition.

January loanee Noa Lang is also one booking away from a ban, having been cautioned twice earlier in the tournament while representing Napoli.