Bruno Fernandes, Luka Modric and Frenkie de Jong are among 19 World Cup stars who could miss crucial semi-final clashes if they are given a second yellow card of the tournament this weekend.
Thanks to England’s high level of discipline in Qatar, Three Lions fans will not have to worry about any of Gareth Southgate’s squad being at risk of suspension because not one player has been booked as of yet.
And to make things even better, after the quarter-finals players are given a clean slate to ensure that no one misses out on the final as a result of accumulating too many yellow cards.
Bruno Fernandes is one of five Portugal players who will miss a semi-final should they be booked
Croatian captain Luka Modric is also one booking away from suspension after he was booked against Canada
Here, Sportsmail looks at those 19 players who will be walking a tightrope in the next stage of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Croatia
Zlatko Dalic’s men escaped the last-16 by the skin of their teeth, knocking out underdogs Japan in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in normal time.
On Friday, they come up against much tougher opposition in the form of Brazil – the five-time world champions.
There are four Croatian players who will go into the game, knowing that a yellow card would see them miss a semi-final should they progress.
Crucially, 37-year-old captain Luka Modric is among those who will need to be cautious. He is joined by Dejan Lovren, Borna Barisic and Maeto Kovacic.
Brazil
After comfortably topping their group, Brazil then blitzed South Korea in a first-half rout, scoring four times in just 36 minutes.
They secured a place in the quarter-finals with an eventual 4-1 mauling and must knock Croatia out to progress any further.
The hot favourites to win the World Cup will know that if Fred, Bruno Guimaraes or Eder Militao pick up a yellow card, they will miss out on a potential semi-final.
Eder Militao is one of three Brazil players who are at risk of being suspended in the semi-finals
England
The Three Lions have been immaculate in both performance and discipline so far. Southgate will not even have to worry about one of his players missing out on a semi-final because none of his side have picked up a yellow card yet.
And with the yellow cards due to reset after the quarter-finals, it means England can afford to take a caution if needed against France on Saturday.
With the likes of Kylian Mbappe racing down the left for Les Bleus, it would not be a surprise to see England’s first yellow card of the tournament this weekend.
No England player has received a yellow card yet, meaning no one is at risk of a suspension
France
England’s quarter-final opposition, the world champions, have two players that will be concerned about yellow cards going into the game.
Barcelona’s Jules Kounde – who plays as a right-back for his country – is one of those who will have to be on high alert as he tries to keep out the likes of Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish.
Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni is the other French footballer who will have to think about making any rash challenges. The midfielder picked up a yellow card in France’s 3-1 win over Poland in the last-16.
France’s Aurelien Tchouameni goes into the quarter-final against England with a yellow card
Morocco
The dark horses of the tournament dumped Spain out of the World Cup again on penalties and will now face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.
If the north African side are to cause another major upset, Sofyan Amrabat, Abdelhamid Sabiri and Romain Saiss are at risk of being suspended if they were to be booked on Saturday.
The winners of this contest will take on England or France in the semi-finals.
Portugal
Portugal have the most players at risk of missing out on a potential semi-final. Fernando Santos’ men put on an exhilarating display in the last-16, knocking out Switzerland with a 6-1 win.
They have five players who have been booked in Qatar so far, which means there is a high chance someone may miss out in the next round, should they get there.
Bruno Fernandes, Danilo Pereira, Ruben Neves, Joao Felix and Ruben Dias are the five who will have to hold back against Morocco.
Fernandes and Neves are no strangers to yellow cards, often being booked for their clubs Manchester United and Wolves in the Premier League.
Ruben Dias will have to be careful against Morocco as he’s already been booked once in Qatar
Holland
The Dutch also have a number of bookings to contest with. Four of Louis van Gaal’s men will be walking a tightrope in the quarter-finals.
Matthijs de Ligt, Nathan Ake, Frenie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners are the four players that will have to be on their best behaviour when they come up against Argentina.
With the likes of Lionel Messi weaving through their defence, it will be a tough task on the day.
De Jong is one of four Dutch players who faces suspension if he is booked against Argentina
Argentina
Lionel Messi’s Argentina have just two players that will have to think about being booked against Holland.
Full-backs Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna are the two that have picked up a booking.
Acuna is expected to start against Holland, however Montiel has not had many minutes in Qatar and therefore may not feature anyway.
With Lionel Messi weaving through their defence Holland’s at risk players will need to be cautious
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