Why isn’t Vinicius Júnior playing for Real Madrid against Atlético Madrid in LaLiga?
The Brazilian winger had looked set to return to action in the Madrid derby but in the end isn’t available to play.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has suffered a significant, unexpected setback in the hours before the LaLiga clash away to Atlético Madrid with the news that winger Vinícius Júnior won’t ultimately be available to face Los Blancos’ city rivals.
Brazilian ruled in to face Atleti...then out again
In Saturday’s pre-match press conference, the Italian had revealed that the attacker would return to action for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury in Madrid’s victory at Celta Vigo on August 28. The 23-year-old was initially expected to spend six weeks on the sidelines but recovered sooner the expected, with Ancelotti stating that his injury was “forgotten about” and there was “zero risk” if he played in the Madrid derby.
ℹ️ Vini Jr. has dropped out of our matchday squad for #AtletiRealMadrid. pic.twitter.com/9kjw0cfWaw
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) September 24, 2023
Ancelotti's possible XI for Madrid against Atlético
However, Los Merengues released a short statement on their website on Sunday revealing Vinícius had been withdrawn from the squad to face Atleti due to a stomach bug, which teammate Jude Bellingham had also gone down with earlier in the week. The England international, however, has fully recovered and is set to take up his usual place in the starting line-up.
When will Vinícius Júnior return for Real Madrid?
The Brazilian, one of Ancelotti’s most potent attacking threats, will now be forced to sit out a fourth game in a a row, with Real Madrid posting narrow home victories against Getafe, Real Sociedad and Union Berlin in each of the previous three. Should Vinícius’ evolution follow a similar timeline to Bellingham’s, he is likely to be available to play in Madrid’s midweek game against Las Palmas at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday.