Revenge still in the air for Salah and Liverpool despite Ramos injury blow for Real Madrid

Those who enjoy the idea of karma will have smiled, but for fans of footballing narrative, it was the worst possible news.

There will be no ‘reunion’ between Sergio Ramos and Mohamed Salah when Real Madrid and Liverpool meet on Tuesday.

No showdown, no chance for revenge or retribution, no sideshow in a tie which requires little extra spice as it is.

A calf injury, sustained on international duty with Spain, means Ramos is set to miss both legs of this intriguing Champions League quarter-final, as well as Saturday’s Clasico against Barcelona.

Hard luck, eh?

The 35-year-old can expect little sympathy from Liverpool supporters, of course. He remains, and will always remain, a villain in their eyes. Memories of the Reds’ last meeting with Real, in the 2018 final in Kiev, are still fresh.

Ramos left his mark that night, in more ways than one. It was his intervention which, by accident or by design, ended Salah’s shot at glory inside half an hour, and plenty at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp included, believe he was responsible for the way in which Loris Karius’ night unravelled too.

“Ruthless and brutal,” Klopp called him, later comparing Ramos to "a wrestler" for his challenge on Salah.

Liverpool's No.11 left the field in tears, his shoulder bust and his dream gone. The enduring image of the Egyptian’s first European Cup final was a ridiculously-timed selfie with a man best known for sprinkling salt on overpriced steaks.

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This season's quarter-final draw, then, was an intriguing one; a chance for Liverpool to banish a few demons, to hurt Ramos like he hurt them. The Reds recovered brilliantly from that Kiev disappointment, but they would still love to get one over the men from Santiago Bernabeu.

Salah certainly would, though he offered a straight bat when asked, in an interview with Spanish publication Marca , about Ramos last week.

“That game is in the past, so I don’t think about it,” he said, though he would let his guard down briefly when stating that he has “special motivation” heading into the tie.

Damn right he does. It is hard to overstate just how driven Salah is, how obsessed he is by success, both individual and collective. To merely compete is not enough.

Liverpool’s struggles this season have hurt him. The way in which the Reds’ Premier League title defence has fallen apart has left him bewildered. He has continued to score, as he always does, but his goals have not been enough to keep Klopp’s side on their perch domestically.

In Europe, though, opportunity still knocks. And Salah, with his “special motivation”, will be key if Liverpool are to turn a testing campaign into a successful one.

He loves this competition. In 44 Champions League appearances for Liverpool, he has scored 25 times. Only Steven Gerrard, with 30, has more – and he took 130 games to get them.

Salah made the difference in the last round, scoring the opening goal in both legs against RB Leipzig as Liverpool won a tricky tie with comfort. Their 4-0 aggregate success could, and should, have been even more emphatic.

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Real should pose a sterner test, though it is fair to say that this is not a vintage Madrid side. They were certainly stronger in Kiev, with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the charge and Gareth Bale bringing the fire from the bench.

Ramos’ absence will hurt them, both defensively and in terms of their set-piece threat at the other end. Real have lost seven of the last 10 Champions League games he has missed, including decisive defeats to Ajax and Manchester City in the last two seasons. He may not be everyone’s cup of tea as a character, but he is some footballer. 

He will not be the only key absentee for this tie, either.

Real could be without both Eden Hazard and Dani Carvajal, while young midfielder Fede Valverde is a doubt. Liverpool, of course, will miss their captain Jordan Henderson, as well as all three of their most senior centre-backs in Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.

It certainly dilutes the quality of the contest, which is a shame given the pedigree of the sides involved. Mind you, 14 of the 22 players who started the 2018 final could still feature this time around.

Real, like Liverpool, have struggled in defending their domestic crown this season. They beat Eibar on Saturday, but it is their cross-town rivals Atletico who are in the box seat in La Liga.

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Zidane, four times a Champions League winner as player and manager, heads into this most crucial of periods under pressure. Plenty would be surprised if the Frenchman was to remain at Madrid beyond this season.

Salah’s future, too, has been the subject of much speculation. Real, of course, are the side most regularly linked, and interviews like the one given to Marca , or to the Madrid-leaning AS back in December, do little to quieten the noise – even if Salah’s juiciest quotes tend to be rather pallid, to say the least.

“I prefer not to talk about that now,” he said when asked about the prospect of leaving Liverpool this summer. “Maybe one day,” he replied when quizzed specifically about the idea of playing in Spain. Hardly earth-shattering, though enough to create a few ripples ahead of this showpiece tie.

Liverpool’s stance is simple; they expect Salah to stay and plan to offer him an extended, and improved, contract at some point. They appreciate that few players in world football are as consistent, as robust or as determined as he is, and view him as central to their hopes of success, this season and beyond.

He will certainly be vital if the Reds are to get past a Ramos-free Real. Do that and his former club Chelsea could be waiting in the semi-finals.

What were we saying about narratives?