World Cup 2018: The yellow card situation ahead of the quarter-finals

With the quarters set to be played in the 2018 World Cup, it has been one hell of a world cup so far. There have been goals, drama (both on and off the pitch), controversies, and even dramatic comebacks. But amidst all this, we have forgotten a key aspect - the accumulation of yellow cards.

Being a very short tournament, a player has to serve out a one game suspension when he accumulate a total of 2 yellow cards. The cards reset AFTER the quarters, which means that a player who gets his second yellow card in the quarterfinals will have to sit out the semi-finals.

While this is a way to ensure that no player misses out on the final - the biggest game of their life, it also prevents teams from using a foul-driven tactic as their only source of football. Here's where the yellow card situation is at, ahead of the quarterfinals.

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#1 France vs Uruguay

Uruguay have only one player to be concerned about

Despite having earned a reputation as one of the most defensive teams in international football, only one Uruguayan is at risk of missing out the semi-finals if he gets booked against France - Rodrigo Bentancur.

Bentancur received a yellow card in their final group game against Russia, and despite being a starter, there is not much risk of him getting a second yellow against France as he is more involved in the attacking side of things. Even if they do, Uruguay has enough personnel to back him up.

Can Giroud and Pogba stick to their best behaviour against Uruguay?

France, in the meantime has four players running the risk of a semi-final suspension - Olivier Giroud, Tolisso, Pavard and Paul Pogba. Three of them are sure starters in the side, and considering that Blaise Matuidi is already suspended for the quarters because of his past exploits, Tolisso might even be in the reckoning for a starting spot.

Among the players mentioned, Giroud has the least probability of a second booking if he can simply keep his head down and focus on the scoring.

Paul Pogba is vital to France's creativity and dropping him will not be a good enough solution to the problem - the alternative is to let Kante do all the dirty work and use Pogba as the number 10.

Benjamin Pavard is the most at-risk player, and playing against Luis Suarez will be bad enough for him without this issue. Tactical fouls aside, Pavard has to be on his best behavior against Uruguay, but France shouldn't worry too much as they have Sidibe covering for him if it comes to that.

#2 Brazil vs Belgium

Both Neymar and Coutinho run a risk of missing the semis

Brazil already have Casemiro suspended for the quarterfinals, and will most likely play Fernandinho as the defending midfielder. In addition to that, they also have a potential huge risk to their creative force - both Coutinho and Neymar having already earned a yellow.

Both Coutinho and Neymar received their yellow against Costa Rica in the same minute - for dissent and lashing out in frustration. Against a Belgian side that will certainly make them work hard for a win, they have to keep their tempers in check.

Neymar is more prone to taking a hit, and considering his injury last time around that forced him to miss the semis, he will not want to face the same fate again. Also taking into account his fondness for simulation, Neymar is one dumb move away from missing out.

Another Brazil player who is at risk of suspension is Felipe Luis, but he is not an assured starter for the team, and there is not much to worry about him.

De Bruyne is one yellow card away from a suspension

Belgium on the other hand have 5 players at risk of suspension. Key among them are Thomas Meunier, Jan Vertonghen and Kevin De Bruyne.

Belgium cannot afford to sit them out for the quarters, and will definitely play all of them. The only possible option is to swap Vertonghen out for Vermaelen now that Kompany is fit, but it is not a chance you take against Brazil.

Two defenders having a yellow already could come to bite Belgium, as it makes the option of a tactical yellow all the more difficult. Belgium also has Tielemans and Dendoncker on yellows, but they are significantly less worrying when compared to the other three.

#3 Sweden vs England

The right back is suspended for the quarters

Sweden already has Mikael Lustig suspended for the game, and in addition to that they have two players who are at risk. Viktor Claesson, the right midfielder is immense to the Swedish team, and in one of their most important games, there is no way they are resting him.

The same goes for the central midfielder, Albin Ekdal. There is no way Sweden are going for a safe approach after everything they have achieved, and will take things as they come.

Jordan Henderson needs to be careful against Sweden

England on the other hand has 4 of its important players at risk. Kyle Walker already sat out the game against Colombia to ensure that he doesn't get banned for the quarters, and will certainly feature at centre back.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jesse Lingard are the attackers who are already on a yellow, but the chances of them resting is not high. Loftus-Cheek has proved valuable to the team and Lingard might be swapped for Rashford if Southgate decides so.

But the most important player in this discussion is Jordan Henderson. He has been pivotal to England as their sole defending midfielder, and has proved to be much better than Eric Dier when playing at that position.

A situation where England advances to the semis, but without Henderson will prove to be a major disadvantage for the team, but Southgate has said that he doesn't want to underestimate the Swedes.

Henderson might, and should play, but a pragmatic approach would be to replace him for Dier once a lead is established.

#4 Russia vs Croatia

Two vital assets of Russia are at risk of suspension

This is a proper bloodbath.

Russia has 5 players already on yellow cards, chief among them Golovin, Zobnin and Kutepov. Golovin, being the playmaker should be safe, but Golovin has a history of being short-tempered and not shying away from tackles.

Zobnin is more integral to the squad as the defending midfielder, while Kutepov has earned a name for himself at the heart of the Russian defense.

Both of them have a high chance of picking up a second yellow in the game because of Russia's predominantly defensive tactics, but there is no avoiding playing them.

Two other Russians -- Smolov and Gazinskii are also on yellows, but they are not part of the starting XI and do not carry much cause of concern.

A scenario where Rakitic is forced to miss a game will put a massive dent to Croatia's tournament

Croatia has a whopping 8 players on a yellow - and four/five of them are part of its regular XI. Vrsaljko, the right back from Atletico Madrid picked up his yellow against Argentina and is generally a player who likes to get into 50/50 tackles.

Another cause of major concern is Ivan Rakitic, who also picked up his yellow against Argentina. Playing as the DM, he is heavily involved in the defense while Modric loiters forward, and is one of the best midfielders in the world - meaning that Croatia cannot afford to miss him.

Both of Croatia's forwards - Mario Mandzukic and Ante Rebic (who can also play in the midfield) are on yellow cards, while Brozovic who can play as a defending midfielder if Croatia opt for an attacking formation is also on a yellow card.

Corluka, Jedvaj and Pjaca - all of them who serve as substitutes, are also at the risk of suspension for the semis if they pick up a card against Russia.