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Bruno Fernandes, Luka Modric and Frenkie de Jong are among the 23 World Cup stars who could miss crucial semi-final clashes if they receive a second yellow card of the tournament this weekend.
Thanks to England’s high level of discipline in Qatar, Three Lions fans won’t have to worry that any member of Gareth Southgate’s squad is at risk of suspension because no player has been booked so far.
And to make things even better, after the quarter-finals, the players wipe the slate clean to ensure that no one misses out on the final due to accumulating too many yellow cards.
Bruno Fernandes is one of the five Portugal players who will miss a semi-final if they are booked
Croatian captain Luka Modric is also one booking away from suspension after he was booked against Canada.
Here, sports mail looks at those 23 players who will walk the tightrope at the next stage of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Croatia
Zlatko Dalic’s men escaped the round of 16 by the skin of their teeth, eliminating underdogs Japan in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw after regulation time.
On Friday, they will face much tougher opposition: Brazil, a five-time world champion.
There are four Croatian players who will go into the game, knowing that a yellow card would see them miss out on a semi-final if they advance.
Crucially, 37-year-old captain Luka Modric is among those who will need to be cautious. He is accompanied by Dejan Lovren, Borna Barisic and Maeto Kovacic.
Brazil
After comfortably topping their group, Brazil crushed South Korea in a first-half thrashing, scoring four times in just 36 minutes.
They clinched a place in the quarterfinals with an eventual 4-1 thrashing and must eliminate Croatia to advance further.
The big favorites to win the World Cup will know that if Fred, Bruno Guimaraes or Eder Militao receive a yellow card, they will miss out on a possible semi-final.
Eder Militao is one of three players from Brazil who are at risk of suspension in the semi-finals.
England
The Three Lions have been flawless in both performance and discipline so far. Southgate won’t even have to worry about one of their players missing out on a semi-final because none of their team have received a yellow card yet.
And with yellow cards set to restart after the quarter-final, it means England can afford to take a booking if necessary against France on Saturday.
With the likes of Kylian Mbappe running down the left for Les Bleus, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see England’s first yellow card of the tournament this weekend.
No England player has received a yellow card yet, meaning no one is at risk of suspension.
France
England’s quarter-final opposition, the world champions, have two players who will be worried about yellow cards before the game.
Barcelona’s Jules Kounde, who plays at right-back for his country, is one who will need to be on high alert as he tries to keep out the likes of Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish.
Aurelien Tchouameni, from Real Madrid, is the other French footballer who will have to think about making a hasty challenge. The midfielder received a yellow card in France’s 3-1 win over Poland in the round of 16.
The Frenchman Aurelien Tchouameni gets into the quarterfinals against England with a yellow card
Morocco
The dark horses of the tournament once again left Spain out of the World Cup on penalties and now they will face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.
If the North African team causes another big upset, Sofyan Amrabat, Abdelhamid Sabiri and Romain Saiss risk suspension if they are booked on Saturday.
The winners of this contest will face either England or France in the semi-finals.
Portugal
Portugal has the most players at risk of missing out on a possible semi-final. Fernando Santos’s men put on a thrilling display in the round of 16, eliminating Switzerland with a 6-1 win.
They have five players who have been booked in Qatar so far, which means there is a strong chance someone will miss out in the next round, should they get there.
Bruno Fernandes, Danilo Pereira, Ruben Neves, Joao Felix and Ruben Dias are the five who will have to endure against Morocco.
Fernandes and Neves are no strangers to yellow cards, often being booked for their clubs Manchester United and Wolves in the Premier League.
Ruben Dias will have to be careful against Morocco as he has already been booked once in Qatar
Holland
The Dutch also have a number of reserves to contest. Four of Louis van Gaal’s men will walk the tightrope in the quarter-finals.
Matthijs de Ligt, Nathan Ake, Frenie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners are the four players who will need to be on their best behavior when they face Argentina.
With the likes of Lionel Messi moving through their defence, it’s going to be a tall order on the day.
De Jong is one of four Dutch players to face suspension if he is booked against Argentina.
Argentina
Lionel Messi’s Argentina has only two players who will have to think about being booked against the Netherlands.
Full-backs Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuña are the two who have picked up a yellow card.
Acuña is expected to start against the Netherlands, however Montiel has not had many minutes in Qatar and therefore will not be able to play anyway.
With Lionel Messi breaking through their defence, at-risk players from the Netherlands will need to be cautious