Sergio Ramos in spotlight as he faces Real Madrid for first time in 18 years
Football
By
Xinhua
| Oct 21, 2023
Real Madrid's visit to Sevilla on Saturday evening sees former Uruguay coach Diego Alonso make his debut in the Sevilla dugout, but the game will hit the headlines for another reason - it is the first time that former Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos has faced the club where he spent nearly all his career.
Ramos' summer return to Sevilla, where he began his career, meant Saturday's game was always going to be underlined in red on the fixture list.
The 37-year-old joined Real Madrid from Sevilla in the summer of 2005 and stayed until 2021, making 671 first-team appearances and winning five La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies.
Although Paris Saint-Germain, whom Ramos joined in 2021, faced Real Madrid in the 2021-22 Champions League, Ramos was injured for both games of the last-16 tie that saw Madrid complete the first of three miracle comebacks that season.
There is no doubt Ramos will be the focus of Saturday's game as Madrid looks to retain their leadership of La Liga a week before they travel to play FC Barcelona in the first 'Clasico' of this season.
Nacho is still suspended, but David Alaba appears to have recovered from his muscle problems and should be able to partner Antonio Rudiger in the heart of the Madrid defense.
The main problem for coach Carlo Ancelotti is that Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Fede Valverde's late return after playing in the Uruguay v Brazil World Cup qualifier means they only have one training session ahead of the game, and that could see Brahim Diaz and Joselu given a chance to start in attack.
Alonso has asked his players to be "brave" on Saturday, and with a Uruguayan at the helm and Ramos in attack, expect Sevilla to go all out in what could be a physical encounter.