The dust has settled on the FIFA Club World Cup semifinals, delivering the highly anticipated final matchup: Chelsea versus Paris Saint-Germain. Chelsea secured their spot by overcoming Fluminense with a 2-0 victory, while PSG demonstrated commanding form, dispatching Real Madrid 4-0.
With the final now in sight, fantasy football managers participating in tournaments like `Fantacampionato Mondiale` are poring over the results, not just for goals and assists, but for those crucial disciplinary points that can make or break a gameweek. The sixth matchday, encompassing these semifinal clashes, brought unwelcome news for some teams in the form of yellow cards.
Receiving a caution at such a critical stage is, shall we say, suboptimal. It not only negatively impacts a player`s score for the current matchday but can also carry implications for future availability depending on accumulation rules. While no player saw red and was immediately removed from contention for the final, a handful found themselves on the referee`s naughty list during the semifinals:
Players Cautioned in the Semifinals:
- Nonato (Fluminense)
- Soteldo (Fluminense)
- Robert Sanchez (Chelsea)
- Joao Neves (PSG)
- Carvajal (Real Madrid)
- Tchouameni (Real Madrid)
Fortunately for the two finalists, only one player from Chelsea (Robert Sanchez) and one from PSG (Joao Neves) received a yellow card. Fluminense and Real Madrid, exiting the tournament, saw multiple players booked, but this is now largely academic for their fantasy managers focused on the final.
The good news, at least from a fantasy perspective focused solely on this specific matchday`s punishment, is that no players were shown a straight red card or received a second yellow, meaning no automatic suspensions from the semifinals alone for this particular matchday`s scoring.
As fantasy managers prepare their final squads for the Chelsea vs PSG showdown, these cautions add another layer of strategic consideration. Will accumulated yellows come into play for key players? Managers must verify their league`s specific rules regarding yellow card accumulation before making those last-minute transfers or captaincy decisions. Navigating disciplinary tightropes is just another delightful challenge in the world of fantasy football.
Ewan Marwood