If there’s one thing football managers and fans dread, it’s missing your best players in crucial matches. Mostly in major tournaments, the absence of a vital player in a do-or-die match often leaves the coaching staff with tactical headaches.
Even though FIFA scrapped the piling of yellow cards after the quarter-final in this year’s tournament, players are still aware that they could miss the semi-final (should their teams qualify) if they pick up silly bookings.
Discipline is a major talking point in this World Cup and player bookings could in one way or another, play into the hands of opportunistic opponents.
So far, here are the guys who could miss the semi-final if they pick up a yellow card in the quarters.
FRANCE: Olivier Giroud, Benjamin Pavard, Corentin Tolisso and Paul Pogba
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URUGUAY: Only Rodrigo Bentacur has been booked.
BRAZIL: Phillipe Coutinho, Filipe Luis and Neymar.
BELGIUM: Thomas Meunier, Youri Tielemans, Kevin De Bruyne, Leander Dendoncker and Jan Vertonghen.
SWEDEN: Only Viktor Claesson and Ekdal Albin
ENGLAND: Kyle Walker, Jesse Lingard, Jordan Henderson and Kyle Walker could all miss the semifinal if booked and England qualifies.
RUSSIA: Roman Zobnin, Aleksandr Golovin, Ilya Kutepov, Fyodor Smolov and Yury Gazinsky.
CROATIA: Sime Vrsaljko, Vedran Corluka, Ivan Rakitic, Marcelo Brozovic, Ante Rebic, Mario Mandzukic, Marko Pjaca and Tin Jedvaj.
