Liverpool duo at risk of Champions League punishment due to ...

Liverpool may be leading the Champions League table with a flawless record, but two of their key players, Alexis Mac Allister and Ibrahima Konate, are now on thin ice in the competition.

Both players are just one yellow card away from serving a one-match suspension due to UEFA's totting up procedure for yellow cards.

Mac Allister joined Konate on this disciplinary tightrope after receiving a caution during stoppage time in Liverpool's 2-1 victory over Lille at Anfield on Tuesday evening, which secured Arne Slot's side a spot in the knockout stages. The Liverpool midfielder has already sat out one league stage game - last month's 1-0 triumph in Girona - after accumulating three bookings early in the competition.

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According to UEFA rules, every second booking after reaching that threshold - the fifth, seventh, ninth, etc. - will result in another one-match suspension.

Currently, Mac Allister is on four bookings, while Konate is on two. The amnesty for yellow cards only kicks in after the quarter-finals, meaning both Mac Allister and Konate will have to navigate five more games - the final first stage match at PSV Eindhoven next week, both legs of the round of 16, and potentially the quarter-finals - before the bookings cease to count.

Liverpool, needing just a point in Holland to secure the top spot, might not risk playing Konate - who was benched against Lille - or Mac Allister. Mac Allister has also served a one-match ban in the Premier League after accumulating five bookings, similar to Dominik Szoboszlai and Darwin Nunez in the past month.

Now that we're past the halfway mark of the domestic season, the Premier League amnesty has shifted to a two-match suspension for 10 bookings after 32 games, and a three-game ban for 15 at any stage of the season.

Liverpool.com says: Mac Allister's yellow card against Lille was harsh, and now it leaves a really important player walking a tightrope heading into the knockout stages. UEFA's rule do seem a bit heavy-handed, especially when you consider how many extra games have to be played in this new format.

Being without Mac Allister or Konate at any point before the semi-finals would be a huge blow for Liverpool, so they're both going to have to be on their best behavior during the last-16 and quarter-finals.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.