Liverpool fans have been rocked by injury news ahead of their Champions League date with Real Madrid next week – but it isn’t one of their players.
It has been reported that Sergio Ramos will be unavailable for both legs against Jurgen Klopp’s side in the last eight of the competition due to a knock picked up on international duty with Spain [BBC Sport].
Drawing Real Madrid was already huge for Liverpool, given that they’re two of Europe’s biggest clubs.
But there was a fascinating subplot involving Ramos and Reds attacker Mo Salah that even many neutral fans would’ve loved to see.
Salah only lasted half-an-hour of the 2018 final against Real after the veteran Spanish defender injured him, with Klopp’s side ultimately losing 3-1.
The bad blood between the duo stem back to that moment in Kiev – and here’s how some Liverpool fans reacted to the fact there’ll be no reunion between the pair in the upcoming quarter-final.
Bad blood aside, this is a huge boost for Liverpool because without Ramos, los Blancos are a very different side.
They have only won three of their last 10 Champions League games that the 35-year-old was absent for, which sort of illustrates his quality and influence.
With Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez out, Liverpool were underdogs and although that still may be the case, Ramos’s injury evens things up a tiny bit.
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