The rules state that players who receive their second caution in the group stage carry it into the playoffs. The national team was affected the last time it was involved in a World Cup playoff game. In March 2022, both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Emil Krafth missed the semi-final at home against the Czech Republic.
The question now is whether Graham Potter dares to use cautioned players in the match against Slovenia. Going into the match and holding back is not that easy, says national team captain Victor Nilsson Lindelöf.
It may be in the back of your mind that you risk suspension. But you have to go in 100 percent and not think about holding back. When you play, you go "all in," he says.
Krafth, late called up to national captain Graham Potter's squad, is once again one of the players who has been cautioned.
How is Potter doing?
But he is far from alone. His defensive colleagues Gustaf Lagerbielke and Isak Hien are one yellow card away from ruling themselves out of the fateful match – opponent not yet decided – in four months.
Striker Alexander Isak and goalkeeper Viktor Johansson are in the same boat, as are Alexander Bernhardsson, Emil Forsberg, Yasin Ayari and Jesper Karlström.
To what extent the warning threat affects Graham Potter's team selection against Slovenia remains to be seen, but clearly some of the nine players playing in the match should be careful.
Does Potter dare to risk players like Isak, Johansson, Ayari and Karlström, starters against Switzerland most recently?
That's really something we have to decide. First I have to figure out which players can play as we recover from the game on Saturday. There are a lot of decisions that have to be made leading up to the game.
The match in March is important but we also want to end this on a positive note and win the match, says Potter at the press conference the day before the match.
Funny: Not forgiving
And if Lagerbielke and Krafth get yellow cards, Potter is a poorer center-back and right-back option.
SVT expert Mikael Lustig is considering playing as few players threatened with suspension as possible, given that the meeting with Slovenia has low sporting value.
"I probably won't forgive Graham Potter if he plays Alexander Isak and he gets a yellow card," he says in an SVT segment.
For the cautioned players who do not receive a second yellow card against Slovenia, the cautions will be erased for the playoffs.
