Real Madrid arrived in Paris on Tuesday night with two players a yellow card away from suspension in the Champions League, those being Casemiro and Ferland Mendy.
The Brazilian was cautioned in the first half, meaning he will now have to sit out of the second leg against Paris Saint-Germain at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu for a tackle he made on Leandro Paredes in midfield.
The tension between the two was clear as the Brazilian grabbed the Argentine by the throat. VAR did take a second look at the incident, but nothing more than a yellow card was deemed necessary. But the booking is costly for Carlo Ancelotti‘s second-leg plan.
With Casemiro‘s suspension already causing problems for Los Blancos, Ancelotti would have been left frustrated when Mendy picked up a yellow card of his own, meaning he too will miss out on the second leg in Madrid.
Ancelotti’s decision ahead of Sheriff
In the group stage, Casemiro was on a warning in the fourth round against Sheriff. With Real Madrid‘s qualification sealed, there was talk of how poorly timed his yellow card was as it left a potential suspension hanging over him.
Ancelotti was approached by Casemiro and the player asked if he should force another yellow card to get his suspension out of the way. Ancelotti, though, decided that he shouldn’t, insisting that he was needed to battle for top spot.
Now, though, the consequences of that decision are having to be managed by Ancelotti, as he’ll have to draw up a plan without one of his most important players for a crucial game.
