Liverpool at risk of losing three key stars to suspension in Galatasaray clash including Van Dijk
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Virgil van Dijk, Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch are walking a tightrope ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League meeting with Galatasaray.Unlike previous iterations of the competition, yellow cards picked up in the group phase carry over into the knockout rounds.Davinson Sanchez is suspended for Galatasaray after he was booked in the first leg, while yellow cards for Van Dijk, Jones or Gravenberch on March 18 would see them miss the first leg of the quarter-final. Looks like Arne Slot will be benching Rio Ngumoha vs Galatasaray… Slot said Rio would only start one game out of the next three before Spurs.
How’d you feel about that?Credit: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images Virgil van Dijk, Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch one yellow card away from banShould Liverpool progress, they now know that they will face off with Arne Slot’s old foes, PSG, in the next round of the competition after they hammered Chelsea.But there is a danger that all three of the aforementioned players could be missing for the first leg.Liverpool are chasing a one-goal deficit at Anfield, and as a result, it is expected to be a feisty affair.But that could spell bad news for the likes of Gravenberch and Van Dijk, who have been crucial players this term.Aside from the currently injured Joe Gomez, there is no cover for the Dutch skipper at centre-back right now, with Wataru Endo sidelined due to injury.Elsewhere, losing Gravenberch would mean Jones is used alongside Alexis Mac Allister.However, if both midfielders were to pick up yellows tonight, Trey Nyoni may end up getting some minutes should Liverpool progress into the quarter-finals.But even if Van Dijk, Gravenberch and Jones are not booked on Wednesday, they could still be suspended by picking up one more booking, as the yellow cards are now not reset until after the quarter-final stage.That means that should Liverpool somehow come out on top against both Galatasaray and PSG, they could be left without their captain and a key midfielder in the first leg of the semi-finals.Conor Bradley is also on two yellow cards already this term, but he is out for the remainder of the season anyway.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox