Modric and Toni Kroos are the bosses in the midfield but Ramos is a boss in defence and his absence from a physical and mental point of view will affect their team
After their 2-1 triumph in the first leg, a draw or even a 1-0 defeat would be enough to send Real into the quarter-finals – and that’s just as well, because at the moment it’s hard to see where their next goal might come from.
However, more than Ramos’s presence as a defender – which has not always been particularly reassuring in recent weeks – the home side could miss his motivational qualities as a passionate and intense leader, especially if Ajax set nerves jangling by scoring the opening goal.
Real Madrid will attempt to shrug off their domestic woes and advance into the last eight of a competition they regard as their own – the Champions League – with Tuesday night’s second leg against Ajax.
In normal circumstances, this game would be regarded as nothing more than a formality with the reigning champions holding a 2-1 advantage from the first leg in Amsterdam, but a traumatic pair of defeats to arch rivals Barcelona appears to have left Los Blancos more vulnerable than usual.
Manager Santi Solari insists morale is high despite his team’s setbacks in the last seven days, and he will be hoping to see them perform with the kind of swagger that has been badly missing for the majority of this season.
Let’s take a look at the game’s pressing points…
Real will be without their captain Sergio Ramos after he earned a one-match suspension during the latter stages of the first leg – with the punishment later doubled after the veteran defender foolishly admitted he had picked up the booking on purpose.
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“Modric and Toni Kroos are the bosses in the midfield but Ramos is a boss in defence and his absence from a physical and mental point of view will affect their team.”
– Ajax’s Erik ten Haghttps://t.co/Jn3orhaTMp— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) March 5, 2019
The obvious candidate to replace him in the centre of defence is Nacho, another highly experienced performer who is more than capable of slotting straight into the back line alongside Raphael Varane.
Ramos’s heroics in dragging his team forward in times of adversity have been well chronicled over the years, and the team’s currently frailty and vulnerability could make him particularly missed in that respect. At the time he picked up his booking, Ramos obviously felt his team-mates would cope just fine without him – if that’s not the case, he will end up looking more foolish than ever.