Is Sergio Ramos playing tonight vs Liverpool? Sergio Ramos injury update revealed

Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3-1 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals last week and will now face The Reds at Anfield for the second leg. The match is scheduled to kick off on Thursday, April 15 at 12:30 AM IST. With a spot in the Champions League semis on the line, the stakes could not be higher. Hence raising the questions - 'Is Sergio Ramos playing tonight?' and What is Sergio Ramos injury update?'

Sergio Ramos injury update

Sergio Ramos has not featured in the starting line-up for Real Madrid since making a brief appearance in the game against Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League. As per reports, the latest Sergio Ramos injury update is that the Spanish centre-back is still recovering from his muscular injury in his left leg. However, Madrid has provided no recent update on Sergio Ramos injury.

Is Sergio Ramos playing tonight? When is Sergio Ramos coming back?

Sergio Ramos will not feature in the starting line-up tonight, not because of injury but because of testing positive for COVID-19. Real Madrid revealed the same in a statement, "Our player] Sergio Ramos tested positive in the last Covid-19 test he performed." In accordance with the COVID-19 protocols, a Sergio Ramos return to the starting line-up can only be expected after 10 days assuming the centre-back has recovered from his muscle injury in that duration.

Liverpool vs Real Madrid team news: Sergio Ramos return delayed

However, Sergio Ramos will not be the only absentee in the Real Madrid squad. French centre-back Raphael Varane, who tested positive for COVID-19 last Tuesday, will also miss this clash. Right-back Lucas Vazquez will also be sidelined after spraining his anterior cruciate ligament in the El Clasico on Saturday. Meanwhile, both Eden Hazard and Dani Carvajal will be assessed before the game but are unlikely to be available.

As for Liverpool, the situation continues to look grim for Jurgen Klopp's men as Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip continue to be sidelined due to long-term injuries. Moreover, captain Jordan Henderson will also be unavailable due to a groin injury. The predicted starting XI's for both teams are mentioned below.

Liverpool predicted starting XI: Alisson Becker; Andrew Robertson, Ozan Kabak, Nathaniel Phillips, Trent Alexander-Arnold; Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum, Thiago Alcantara; Sadio Mane, Firmino, Mohamed Salah.

Real Madrid predicted starting XI: Thibaut Courtois; Ferland Mendy, Nacho, Eder Militao, Alvaro Odriozola; Casemiro, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos; Marco Asensio, Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema.