Liverpool and Manchester United players on best behaviour ahead of Europa League clash
Thursday 10 March 2016 08:40, UK
The referee in charge of tonight's Liverpool v Manchester United Europa League last-16 tie has issued 74 yellow and six red cards in his last 12 games.
Spanish official Carlos Velasco Carballo, 44, booked eight players and sent another off during Deportivo's 3-3 draw with Malaga on Saturday.
He was criticised for being too lenient in the 2014 World Cup after he failed to penalise Colombia's Juan Zuniga for a challenge on Neymar that ended the Brazil striker's tournament with a back injury.
Carballo was in charge of Chelsea's first-leg defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in February, showing yellow cards to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and John Mikel Obi.
He also refereed at Euro 2012, where he sent off Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, and refereed the Europa League final between Portuguese duo Porto and Braga in 2011.
The Liverpool v Manchester United fixture is traditionally one of the most fiercely contested in English football - former Reds skipper Steven Gerrard lasted just 38 seconds before he was sent off after coming on a substitute at Anfield - and red cards have been a regular feature over the years.
Gerrard's sending off was the 16th sending off in a Liverpool-United Premier League game and United defender Nemanja Vidic received three red cards in as many games in 2008 and 2009.
However both sides have good disciplinary records this season - James Milner and Juan Mata were both sent off at the weekend for two yellows but Philippe Coutinho is the only other player from either side to have been sent off this season.
