MADRID, Spain - Real Madrid has fired Bernd Schuster two days after the German coach said it would be impossible for the two-time defending Spanish champion to beat rival Barcelona.

Former Tottenham and Sevilla coach Juande Ramos replaces the 49-year-old Schuster, who was let go only six months after guiding the Spanish powerhouse to its record 31st league title.

Fifth-placed Madrid trails leader Barcelona by nine points going into Saturday's "classico" derby. Schuster appeared to seal his fate when he said Sunday after a 4-3 home defeat to Sevilla that injury-riddled Madrid "would try to play a good game" but that this was Barcelona's season.

Only three weeks ago, Sports director Pedja Mijatovic backed Schuster to continue "barring a catastrophe."

But Schuster's comments about the match against Barcelona, where he all but threw in the towel, were never likely to be well received.

"At the Camp Nou now, it's not possible to win," Schuster said after the match against Sevilla. "They (Barcelona) are playing really well there and it's their year. We can just try and hopefully play a good game."

Schuster added that the way Barcelona was "demolishing" opponents, with the Catalans scoring an average of three goals a game, meant that it was their year. Barcelona is unbeaten in 20 matches.

Ramos, 54, is the eighth coach to lead the Spanish club since it fired Vicente del Bosque in 2003.

His first match in charge will be against Zenit St. Petersburg in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Mijatovic said Schuster and Madrid parted ways "amicably" after a Tuesday morning meeting with the board of directors.

"We talked about all of the difficulties that we had over the past months ... and we decided to take this decision," Mijatovic said. "He accepted it with great humility."