Five Barcelona stars at risk of suspension heading into Atletico Madrid clash

Barcelona will have a tough test on Sunday night as they take on Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid side away at the Civitas Metropolitano.

The Catalans are just three points clear of Atleti, who are fourth in the table, and as such, they will need to bag a win to widen the gap and keep up the pressure on Real Madrid and Girona above them.

Tomorrow’s game will be the last one Barça play before the first international break of 2024, with their next match being against Las Palmas on March 30.

Heading into the clash at the Metropolitano, though, as many as five Barcelona players are facing the risk of suspension and will need to walk the disciplinary tightrope.

Indeed, Andreas Christensen, Robert Lewandowski, Joao Cancelo, Inigo Martinez, and Oriol Romeu are all on four yellow cards at the moment.

Martinez and Christensen are on four yellow cards. (Photo by JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)

And, another booking against Atletico Madrid on Sunday would see them earn an automatic one-match suspension, leading them to miss the next match against Las Palmas.

Of the five players, Christensen, Lewandowski, and Cancelo are guaranteed starters for Xavi Hernandez’s side and will certainly be in the team tomorrow against Atletico Madrid.

As for Martinez, it will be interesting to see if Xavi opts for his seniority and experience over the young Pau Cubarsi, who put in a Man of the Match display against Napoli earlier this week.

Las Palmas pushed Barcelona to the brink earlier in the season, with the Catalans just about managing to secure a 2-1 win. As such, it will be important for Xavi to have all his best players available for selection.