Liverpool and Galatasaray have 8 players at risk of bans ahead of Champions League tie
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Liverpool IconLiverpool FC NewsFeaturesLiverpool FCLiverpool faces Galatasaray in their Champions League round of 16 first leg with four players out injured while Curtis Jones risks suspension for the second legCurtis Jones of Liverpool with head coach Arne Slot(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)Liverpool is set to return to the pitch on Tuesday evening for a clash with Galatasaray in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie.The Reds are expected to have the same squad at their disposal that triumphed over Wolves on Friday evening, securing their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals.Alexander Isak is inching closer to rejoining first-team training but remains sidelined as he continues his recovery from an ankle surgery, which included treatment for a fractured fibula. This injury was sustained when Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven tackled him during Liverpool's 2-1 away victory before Christmas, where Isak scored the opening goal.READ MORE: Alexis Mac Allister's dad provides alarming update on son's Liverpool futureHowever, Wataru Endo faces a struggle to play again this season after undergoing surgery on his left ankle, injured last month at Sunderland.Both right-back Conor Bradley and teenage centre-back Giovanni Leoni have already been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Bradley had knee surgery in January, whilst Leoni underwent an operation on his ACL back in September.Alexis Mac Allister had to be substituted late in the game at Wolves on Friday, but Reds manager Arne Slot stated afterwards that he does not foresee any issues with the midfielder's fitness. Florian Wirtz made a comeback at Molineux after missing three games, making a brief appearance off the bench.Curtis Jones, however, risks suspension for the return match against Galatasaray at Anfield next Wednesday if he receives a booking in Istanbul.Champions League regulations stipulate that any player who accumulates three yellow cards - or any subsequent odd number of bookings - from the league stage onwards is suspended for the next match.
Jones currently has two warnings.Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha shakes hands with head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)An amnesty only comes into effect upon completion of the quarter-finals when all yellow card totals are wiped clean. This means Galatasaray face the possibility of a multitude of players being banned for next week's second leg, with seven players all on two Champions League cautions.Goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, defenders Ismail Jackobs, Davinson Sanchez and Abdulkerim Bardakci, and forwards Roland Sallai and Victor Osimhen have all received two bookings in this season's competition for Galatasaray, whilst January loan signing Noa Lang was cautioned twice for parent club Napoli.However, the Turkish side have minimal injury concerns, with teenage defender Arda Unyay the only recently unavailable player to have clocked up any first-team minutes this season.Choose Liverpool.com as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Liverpool FCChampions League