Real Madrid v Villarreal CF - LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27
Real Madrid v Villarreal CF - LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27 | Angel Martinez/GettyImages
Vinícius Jr. is set to miss the El Clásico in two weeks' time, according to reports from Spain. Vinícius Jr. was a substitute against Villarreal, coming on in the second half with the hopes of solidifying the win for Real Madrid on their return to La Liga action after the international break. Vinícius Jr. initially did exactly that by scoring a goal, which was only his second in the eight games he has played in La Liga.
However, during the process of scoring, particularly in the buildup, Vinícius looked to have pulled Saliba's hair, which resulted in the goal being overturned, as well as a straight red for the Brazilian winger.
Everyone was in shock, but it was the right decision. Now, according to Cope, Vinícius Jr. will be getting at least a two-match ban. According to Arancha Rodriguez, Real Madrid are expecting Vinícius Jr. to get a three-match ban, but an appeal could reduce it to two. Either way, Vinícius Jr. looks set to be missing the El Clásico on the 26th of October.
Vinicius Junior is not in good enough form to play against Barcelona anyway
It can be looked at as two things. The obvious: Vinícius Jr. is still a superstar who can change games by himself. He is born for the biggest occasions, and against a team like Barcelona, he should provide, on paper, so much individual quality, which is hard to ignore. Whether he would have done that against Barcelona this season was another topic altogether, but on paper, he would have been very dangerous. Losing him in the game is automatically a bad sign.
On the flip side, however, the Brazilian has not played well all season. Most of the games that he has started have been purely because Jose Mourinho wants him to get to his best as soon as possible.
To do that, he feels like he has to play him to build his confidence up and for him to feel loved again. That tactic just has not worked, and even though Vinícius Jr. was getting close to doing that after the goal against Villarreal, he has taken two steps back.
Is it now better to have a more in-form player play in Vinicius Junior's position than to have an out-of-form Vinicius Junior try to bring himself back into contention in such a big game? I am leaning towards the former simply because, with Vinicius Junior, you just don't know what you would get at the moment.
If this were a couple of seasons ago, there would have been no question about anything of the sort. It still isn't a question because Vinicius Junior is missing the Clásico anyway, but it is a sort of blessing in disguise because of the form that Vinicius Junior was in. You can only say that cautiously because everyone knows what a good Vinicius Junior can provide to the Real Madrid team.
No one has seen that version of him in ages, and because of that, it might actually be working to Real Madrid's favour if Vinicius Junior isn't there. The simple need to play Vini just because of his name, or to bring him back into form in such a big game, is something that fans or his teammates probably wouldn't appreciate. Even though Jose Mourinho would not agree with this, it is probably for the best.
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