Sevilla's yellow card crisis: Five players on thin ice ahead of Betis derby
Defensive headache looms for Almeyda as five Sevilla players risk suspension before crucial derby clash with Real Betis on March 1st.
Sevilla face a potential selection nightmare with five players walking a disciplinary tightrope as the Seville derby approaches.
Yellow peril for relegation battlers
Matías Almeyda’s men are entering a crucial month in their fight against relegation, with fixtures against fellow strugglers Alavés, Getafe and Rayo Vallecano on the horizon. Sandwiched between these six-pointers is the emotionally charged derby against Real Betis on March 1st.
The last thing Almeyda needs is selection headaches, but that’s exactly what he’s got with five players just one yellow card away from suspension:
- César Azpilicueta
- José Ángel Carmona
- Gabriel Suazo
- Tanguy Nianzou
- Lucien Agoumé
Four of these five are defenders, which could leave Sevilla’s backline in tatters for the derby. The situation with Suazo is particularly concerning as the Chilean has no natural replacement with Oso sidelined for approximately a month through injury.
Discipline issues all season
This yellow card crisis shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone following Los Nervionenses this campaign. Sevilla have been the most carded team in La Liga all season, racking up a whopping 69 yellows already. Talk about having a right bubble bath with the referees!
Nemanja Gudelj doesn’t seem too fussed about the situation, suggesting the returning players from injury will cover any suspensions: “The good thing is that the team is recovering many injured players and that means if one falls, another will be there.”
Derby day concerns
With Getafe – the third most booked team in La Liga – coming up before the Betis clash, the chances of at least one of these five players missing the derby seem high. The timing couldn’t be worse for Almeyda, who’s under pressure to deliver results in these upcoming fixtures.
In contrast, Betis have just one player walking the disciplinary tightrope – Valentín Gómez – giving them a potential advantage heading into the March 1st showdown.
The injury list compounds Sevilla’s problems, with Andrés Castrín, Marcao, Oso and Rubén Vargas all in the treatment room, though Castrín could return to training next week.
Almeyda faces a proper headache balancing his squad through this crucial period while trying to keep enough players available for what could be a season-defining derby.