Qualification for a semi-final, yes. A Pyrrhic victory, no. Whether FC Barcelona validates its place in the last four on its Montjuïc lawn or whether Mbappé and the Parisians reverse the situation this Tuesday evening, one or the other team will have to count the players eligible for the semi-final first leg. .
And the inventory can turn out to be quite delicate, if, as is predictable, the battle rages at Montjuïc.
Before the suspenseful quarter-final return on Tuesday, the capital team, defeated in the first leg (3-2), has four players warned and liable to suspension in the event of a yellow card at Montjuïc. Lucas Hernandez, Milan Skriniar, Manuel Ugarte and Vitinha are asked not to receive a booking this Tuesday.
An aggravating circumstance is that, with the exception of the Portuguese, these are players with a defensive vocation, who will therefore be held, particularly if they start at kick-off (this is more than unlikely for Skriniar), required to curb their commitment, to a certain extent.
For their part, the Blaugrana present six players likely to also be deprived of half-time: Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, Ferran Torres and João Félix. But among the Barcelonans, Araujo will be the only defender to have to restrain his interventions.
It is likely that this data will have an impact on the nature of the match, in particular on the coaching of each coach depending on the evolution of the game. With a total of ten players on reprieve, both teams will have to find the balance between commitment and mastery.
Furthermore, Catalan midfielder and captain Sergi Roberto, booked at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday, is suspended this Tuesday, as is defender Andreas Christensen, author of the third Catalan goal.
On the Parisian side, however, Achraf Hakimi, deprived of the first leg on Wednesday, is back this Tuesday, with his “cards” counter reset to zero.