Reece James, Thiago Silva and Enzo Fernandez are among SEVEN Chelsea players who could miss the second leg if they are shown a yellow card in tonight’s Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid.
Chelsea will travel to Real Madrid tonight in the first leg of their epic Champions League quarter-final, but could miss seven key players in the second leg.
Frank Lampard will be looking for his first win in his second stint as leader of the Blues. The former Chelsea legend was appointed interim manager of the club until the end of the season after sacking Graham Potter – who won just 12 of his 31 games overall.
The side entered the game after a 1–0 defeat away to Wolverhampton Wanderers – with Matheus Nunes scoring the only goal of the game.
Chelsea progressed to the quarter-finals after beating German side Borussia Dortmund 2–1 on aggregate.
With the England side looking to go all out in the league, they need to get through Madrid first. The first leg will take place later in the evening at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Chelsea will face Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final
Enzo Fernandez is one of seven players who could miss the second leg due to a suspension
Lampard may have squad headaches as a total of seven players could miss next week’s second leg at Stamford Bridge due to suspension.
The Blues goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is one of those who could serve a one-match ban if he is shown a yellow card tonight.
Conor Gallagher, Reece James, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mykhailo Mudryk and Thiago Silva are also one booking away from suspension.
Enzo Fernandez is another player who could miss tonight’s second leg with a yellow card. The midfielder is expected to start from kick-off against the Spanish giants tonight.
The Argentine has proven to be a great asset to the club since joining Benfica in January for a British record £107million.
James is another who seems ready to start from scratch. The defender has been a crucial player for the England squad this season.
Every time the defender did not play, the club struggled. It’s fair to say Lampard will be sweating over the Englishman if he’s named in the starting eleven.
Despite Silva being in danger of missing the second leg, the Brazilian is unlikely to start from scratch tonight. The centre-back has not played since the Blues’ defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in February after suffering a knee injury.
Reece James is another player who could miss the second leg if he picked up a card tonight
Thiago Silva returned to training this week and is another who could miss the second leg
The defender recently gave Lampard’s side a boost when he was pictured training ahead of the Madrid clash.
All yellow cards will expire after the quarter-finals and will not be carried over to the semi-finals.
The game between Chelsea and Real Madrid starts tonight at 8 p.m.
The second leg will take place next week, on Tuesday, April 18, and the game will start again at 8:00 PM.