Real Madrid will look to put the disappointment of two successive El Clasico losses behind them when they host Ajax Amsterdam in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League last 16 encounter tonight – here's how the two teams line up!
UEFA Champions League
Teams: Real Madrid vs Ajax Amsterdam
Date: 5 March
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu
Time: 22:00
Second-half goals from Karim Benzema and substitute Marco Asensio saw Real emerge as 2-1 victors over a youthful Ajax side in the first leg of the clash.
Los Blancos will be without the services of influential captain Sergio Ramos, who was handed a two-game suspension by UEFA for purposely picking up a yellow card in the first leg.
Ajax will remain without Hassane Bande, Carel Eiting, and Lisandro Magallan, all of whom missed the clash in Amsterdam due to injury.
With Real enduring a somewhat underwhelming campaign thus far, the defending UCL champions have the opportunity to extend their title-winning record in Europe.
With 13 Champions League titles to their name, no other team has enjoyed more European success than Los Blancos, but the Spanish giants come up against a Dutch outfit that famously won three successive European Cups themselves between 1970 and 1973.
Despite suffering two losses to CSKA Moscow in the group stages, the LaLiga giants finished the group stage as winners of Group G with 12 points.
Ajax, who are the only team left in the Champions League that came through the qualifying rounds, finished as runners-up in Group E with 12 points, finishing second to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
Tonight's clash will be the 14th meeting between the two teams in the competition, with Real responsible for eight victories, as opposed to Ajax's four wins, while one match ended in a stalemate.
The Spaniards' dominance in this fixture is without question, having beaten Ajax home and away in the group stage of the 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13 campaigns.
Santiago Solari's men have also scored nine goals in their past three matches against Ajax at the Santiago Bernabeu, while conceding only one strike in that period.
Despite their dip in form this season, Real have won the past three editions of the Champions League, in addition to having secured victories in their past nine two-legged knockout ties in the competition.
Ajax have reached the Champions League round of 16 stage for the first time since the 2005/06 campaign.
Read: The UCL's Last 10 Golden Boot Winners
Here's how they line up:
Real Madrid: Courtois, Carvajal, Varane, Nacho, Kroos, Benzema, Modric, Casemiro, Lucas Vazquez, Reguilon, Vinicius Junior
Ajax Amsterdam: Onana, De Ligt, Van de Beek, Neres, Tadic, Mazraoui, Blind, Schone, F. de Jong, Ziyech, Tagliafico
Which team do you think will advance to the quarter-finals of the competition? Have your say in the comments section below.
