Chelsea travel to Spain on Wednesday evening to face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final. Frank Lampard's men are not expected to progress with many fancying the chances of the reigning champions more.
The Blues must be firing on all cylinders if they are to pull off an upset in Europe's most prestigious competition. Both sides come into the contest on the back of league defeats with Wolves beating Chelsea and Villarreal surprising Carlo Ancelotti's side with a 3-2 win at the Santiago Bernabeu on Monday.
Chelsea must avoid a heavy defeat in the first leg if they are to secure their place in the semi-final with the return leg at Stamford Bridge set to play a big role in the outcome of the tie. However, there are half-a-dozen of Lampard's squad who face missing the second leg should they be booked in Madrid.
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The Blues have six players on three bookings going into the quarter-final and are at risk of missing their next European game. UEFA rules mean that once a player gets three yellow cards they will get a one-game suspension, as Mason Mount found out by missing the 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund last time out in the Champions League.
Defenders Reece James, Kalidou Koulibaly and Thiago Silva are all on two yellow cards alongside goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. Conor Gallagher and Mykhailo Mudryk are also at risk of being suspended for the return leg.
Fortunately for Chelsea, Silva is unlikely to feature in Spain through injury meaning he will avoid a suspension for the semi-final as UEFA rulings state 'all yellow cards expire on completion of the quarter-finals. They are not carried forward to the semi-finals.'
Should any of the remaining five players be booked on Wednesday, they will be missed by Chelsea. James and Koulibaly are expected to play a starring role in keeping the likes of Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior quiet.
Another booking for Kepa would mean Edouard Mendy would return to the Blues' XI, something he has not done since before the World Cup.
Pick your XI to start vs Real Madrid below
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