Real Madrid continue their quest to win the UEFA Champions League for the fourth straight time Tuesday night when they host Ajax in the second leg of their round of 16 tie. The holders are in great position to advance to the quarterfinals as they enter this match up 2-1 on aggregate.
Madrid’s two away goals from the reverse leg in Amsterdam back on February 13 places them in a very advantageous position should any tie-breaker situations emerge. Although Los Blancos will be without their team captain, Sergio Ramos, their prospects of winning and getting through remain very high.
If you’re looking to do some free bets on this match, you’ll find Madrid typically backed at about 1/12 to advance to the UCL round of eight. Ajax are usually priced around 11/2. Google’s result probability (90 minutes only) calculation shows the chances of a Real Madrid victory being 58%, an Ajax win 19% and a draw projected to be 23%.
Getting back to Ramos, the extremely polarizing player is suspended for both this match and the first leg of the quarter-finals (provided Real advance) after UEFA extended his ban for intentionally picking up a yellow card in the first leg in order to avoid getting hit with a potential suspension in the next round.
He is the most notable absentee for either side in this match.
Real Madrid vs Ajax UCL Round of 16 Leg 2 FYIs
Kickoff: Tuesday, March 5, 8pm, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Referee: Felix Brych
Series History: Real wins 8, Ajax wins 4, Draw 1
Television: BT Sport 3
For Real Madrid, this match comes at pretty much the perfect time as they’re need of a morale boost right now. Having just fallen to arch-rival FC Barcelona twice, in La Liga and Copa Del Rey competition, they are now behind in the all time scoreboard of the El Clasico rivalry.
They can quickly erase that ugly feeling by taking another step towards Euro glory, and the under-matched Ajax (who don’t have the talent, depth or resources that the Reyes Del Europa have, is the perfect opponent for doing so.
Prediction: Real Madrid 3, Ajax 2
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.