Champions League knockout stage is just a bit more than a fortnight away and Real Madrid are set to clash against Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain for the first leg of the round of 16. Real Madrid will travel to Paris to play the first tie at Parc des Princes.
Pochettino’s side, despite the exhibition of extremely celebrated names of football, suffers from several tight spots which might just work in the favor of Real.
Even with Neymar’s recovery reportedly going well and the possibility of him featuring against Real is rising with the clock, there are other soft points Real Madrid can put to their advantage.
As per MARCA, Real Madrid’s former captain, and PSG’s new number 4 Sergio Ramos has picked up yet another injury just 17 days before the match against Real Madrid. This comes after the Spaniard was forced to leave the training session early due to what strikes as being a muscular injury.
The situation and extremity of the discomfort are yet to be determined for which tests will be carried out on Ramos to see if he will be available to face Real Madrid.
How is Sergio Ramos’ injury going to benefit Real Madrid?
Regardless of the fact that Los Blancos fans would love to see their “Capi” defend against the club that made him the player he is today, it cannot be disregarded that his potential exclusion from PSG’s lineup could give Real Madrid a bit of edge over the hosts.
Even since the departure of Thiago Silva and the continuous injury saga of Ramos, Paris Saint Germain have suffered a lot on the side of defense that even made them linger down the league table at the beginning of the season, which I must say is quite the unusual for Ligue 1.
Featuring in five matches for PSG so far, Ramos has seen only two shots go into the net whereas, in his absence, the team conceded 4 goals in just 2 matches. This clearly shows the leadership and defensive influence the player brings and what PSG will be missing against Real Madrid.
On top of that, who else other than Real would be acquainted with the attacking prowess Sergio Ramos possesses, especially during corners (yes, I know which moment clicks in your mind while reading this).
To conclude, all of the above-mentioned factors could verily pile up and let the odds favour Real to grab a win before inviting Ramos and co. to the Bernabeu.