The Arsenal player walking suspension tightrope ahead of PSV Champions League clash
Football March 04, 2025 01:39 AM

Arsenal return to action on Tuesday as they face PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League. The Gunners travel to the Netherlands for the first leg of their round of 16 clash, with the second leg pencilled in for March 12 at Emirates Stadium.

With side trailing Liverpool by 13 points in the , the Champions League is perhaps last chance of silverware this season. Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid await in the quarter-finals but PSV will be a tough test for the north Londoners, with Peter Bosz's side currently second in the Eredivisie.

"They are a really good team," Arteta admitted last month. "We know that. We have experienced it and it will be very difficult like any other Champions League result that we could have got or any team.

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"We know what we are facing. When you are at this stage, every team is really, really good. When the time comes, we'll be ready for it."

, which means Arteta's options in the forward areas are limited. Leandro Trossard, Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri are the only senior forwards available, while Mikel Merino has been deployed in the striker role in recent weeks.

Sterling has not had the best of seasons at Emirates Stadium but the Chelsea loanee does have a lot of experience playing in the Champions League, with the Englishman reaching the final of the competition with Manchester City in 2021. With so many attacking options ruled out of Tuesday's first leg clash, Sterling could have a big say on what happens in the game.

The Arsenal forward may have to be careful, however, as he is walking something of a suspension tightrope. Sterling has already picked up two yellow cards in the competition this term and is just one booking away from a one-game suspension.

Article 63.02 of the UEFA Champions League regulations states: "From the first match in the league phase, players and team officials are suspended for the next competition match after three cautions, that did not result in a red card, as well as after any subsequent odd-numbered caution (fifth, seventh, ninth, etc.)."

Yellow cards are carried over from the league phase and are not wiped out until the conclusion of the quarter-final stages. Article 63.04 states: "Exceptionally, all yellow cards and pending yellow-card suspensions expire on completion of the play-offs. They are not carried forward to the league phase. In addition, all yellow cards expire on completion of the quarter-finals. They are not carried forward to the semi-finals."

This means, then, that should Sterling pick up a booking in any one of the two matches against PSV, he will face a one-match suspension. Interestingly, Gabriel Martinelli has also picked up two yellow cards in the Champions League but judging by Arteta's comments on the Brazilian last week, he will most likely miss both clashes against the Dutch side.

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