Real Madrid quintet walking Champions League suspension tightrope | OneFootball

The standout tie of the Champions League play-off round is undoubtedly Real Madrid's heavyweight clash with Manchester City, but the 15-time Champions League winners will have more than just their opponents to worry about in Tuesday's first leg at the Etihad Stadium.

The defending champions wobbled in the early stages of the revamped first phase format before turning on the style when it really mattered to cruise past RB Salzburg and Stade Brest.

Those two victories confirmed Madrid's place in the knockout round play-off, with their hopes of a top-eight finish prematurely ended by defeats to Lille, Liverpool and AC Milan.

Few would have predicted City to be needing a win on the final matchday just to seal a top 24 finish, but that's exactly the predicament Pep Guardiola's side found themselves in when Club Brugge rocked up in Manchester.

After going into half-time trailing, City came out re-energised and claimed a 3-1 win – the subsequent Champions League draw pairing them with Madrid for a tie we've got used to seeing at the semi-final stage.

Madrid are the favourites to advance, owing to City's continued struggles in all competitions, but Carlo Ancelotti's plans for the two-legged tie could be scuppered by suspensions to key players. Heading into the first leg encounter at the Etihad on Tuesday, Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Endrick are all at risk of missing the return fixture.

Ancelotti must formulate a plan to overcome City / Alex Caparros/GettyImages

The quintet have all picked up two Champions League bookings to this point and will be banned for the second leg if they pick up another caution – Ancelotti is walking that same tightrope and won't be allowed on the Santiago Bernabeu touchline if he's carded in Manchester.

Bellingham is the most high-profile player at risk, with his knack for scoring important goals at important times central to Madrid's success in big games. Modric is continuing to defy time, meanwhile, looking anything but 39 years of age as he continues to control games in the heart of midfield.

Tchouameni and Camavinga have both been called upon to aid Madrid's defensive injury crisis in recent weeks and months, and the talented French duo are perhaps most likely to be booked given their combative roles in the team.

Any enforced absence for Endrick wouldn't be catastrophic at this stage as the Brazilian teenager is still finding his feet in the Spanish capital, finding himself on the periphery of the first team playing understudy to the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.