Spanish La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid will clash in the 2021/22 season’s first El Clasico at the Camp Nou on Sunday, 24 October. PHOTO: CURTO DE LA TORRE / AFP
Champions League team news: Real Madrid miss suspended Ramos
Sergio Ramos will not be able to help Real Madrid see off the challenge of a determined Ajax Amsterdam.
Spanish La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid will clash in the 2021/22 season’s first El Clasico at the Camp Nou on Sunday, 24 October. PHOTO: CURTO DE LA TORRE / AFP
Borussia Dortmund face an uphill task to overturn a 3-0 deficit as they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to what is sure to be a raucous Signal Iduna Park in the North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.
Dortmund will welcome back into their lineup the likes of Marco Reus while the visitors can once again restore Jan Vertonghen to a role of the left side of a three man central defence.
Vertonghen was deployed as a left-wingback in a makeshift formation that saw him grab a goal as Spurs earned a surprise 3-0 win at Wembley over the German League leaders.
Raphael Guerreiro was only fit to play a small part in the first leg but is expected to be on the field from the start for BVB as they hunt an improbable comeback against Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs.
Right back Łukasz Piszczek has been ruled out of contention for the Dortmund starting XI while Christian Pulišić is unlikely to start but could play a role coming off the bench.
Tottenham are still without long-term absentee Delle Alli though they will be delighted to have Harry Kane fit with the Champions League now looking like the club’s best shot at silverware this season.
Borussia Dortmund (0-3) Tottenham Hotspur
Dortmund (likely XI)[4-5-1]: Bürki; Wolf, Akanji, Zagadou, Diallo; Delaney, Witsel, Reus, Guerreiro, Sancho; Götze.
Tottenham (Likely XI)[3-5-2]: Lloris; Alderweireld, Sánchez, Vertonghen; Aurier, Davies, Sissoko, Rose; Eriksen; Son, Kane.
Real Madrid brought a slender advantage back with them from Amsterdam but were pressed all the way by an ambitious Ajax team who will want to turn things around at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Dusan Tadic was a constant threat to the Real Madrid goal and will once again lead the Ajax line but neither he nor his teammates will have to deal with Los Blancos resident shithouse Sergio Ramos, who is suspended due to group stage shithousery earning him a two-match ban for an intentional booking.
Raphael Varane is fit again and takes up a place in Real’s central defence, he could be in for a busy night if the first leg is anything to go by. Ajax might be hoping that the officials deploy VAR in a way that is more beneficial to them after feeling hard done by in the first leg.
Frenkie de Jong will likely start for Ajax having agreed to join Real’s biggest rivals Barcelona at the end of the season adding some extra spice to this tie for the highly rated young dutch midfielder.
Marcos Llorente has been ruled out of the contest with injury for Real Madrid while Ajax will be without Burkinabé striker who is yet to turn out for his new club after sustaining a fracture to his leg.
The dutch side are also without Carel Eiting and Vaclav Cerny while for Real Madrid Gareth Bale will start from the bench after being booed off in the Clasico.
Real Madrid (2-1) Ajax Amsterdam
Real Madrid (likely XI)[4-3-3]: Courtois; Reguilón, Varane, Nacho, Carvajal; Casemiro, Kroos, Modrić; Vázquez, Benzema, Vinicius.
Ajax(likely XI)[4-3-3]: Onana; Tagliafico, Blind, De Ligt, Mazraoui; De Jong, Van de Beek, Schöne; Neres, Tadić, Ziyech.
