Sergio Ramos is a key member of Real Madrid's recent accomplishments, but he is also the most booked defender in both La Liga and in European competitions.
The Spanish defender will not be available to play for Los Blancos in the next two games, following UEFA's extended ban for getting booked on purpose to enter the next round with a clean slate. Unfortunately for the three-time UEFA Champions League winners, they have struggled whenever their leader has not been around, as the following stats show.
The team has only been able to win one of their last five games without Ramos in European competitions. That game ended in a 6-0 win for Los Blancos against APOEL back in November, 2017. What really stands out is that Real Madrid has lost three straight European games when Ramos has not been included in the team's lineup, whether it's been due to a ban, coach's decision or injury.
To make matters worse for Real Madrid, the team has lost three straight games at home for the first time in years, while Ajax has won their two most recent games away from home. Can we expect a shocking result at the Bernabeu tonight?
Here are the full scores of those games in detail.
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November 2, 2016: Legia Warsaw 3-3 Real Madrid. Ramos was unavailable due to a knee problem.
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November 21, 2017: APOEL 0-6 Real Madrid. Ramos was unavailable due to a broken nose.
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April 11, 2018: Real Madrid 1-3 Juventus. Ramos was serving a one-match ban.
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October 2, 2018: CSKA 1-0. Real Madrid. Ramos was rested by Julen Lopetegui.
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December 12, 2018: Real Madrid 0-3 CSKA. Santiago Solari decided to rest Sergio Ramos.
