Real Madrid are without Thibaut Courtois and Vinicius Junior for their visit to Barcelona in El Clasico. The Belgian goalkeeper has been ruled out at the last minute with flu, while the Brazilian winger will watch the match from the stands due to suspension.
“Courtois out at the last minute“, Real Madrid announced in their squad announcement. Ilya Volshin has been included in the group in his place. The La Liga match from the tenth round is at the “Camp Nou“ and kicks off at 9:00 p.m. local time.
Vinicius will miss his first match against Barcelona since December 18, 2019. According to Goal, he has played in every subsequent El Clasico, starting with the match on March 1, 2020. The Brazilian has eight goals in 24 matches against the Catalans, with a record of 11 wins, 12 losses and one draw.
The last match without Vinicius ended 0:0
On December 18, 2019, Vinicius was on the bench, but Zinedine Zidane did not use him. At that time, Real Madrid started with Isco behind Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, and in the middle of the field were Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde. Ferland Mendy and Dani Carvajal played on the flanks of the defense, Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane were in the center, and Courtois kept the goal.
The match ended 0:0 and remained the last goalless El Clasico. The match was originally scheduled for 26 October, but was postponed due to the tension and unrest on the streets of Barcelona following the court ruling on the events of 1 October 2017 and their aftermath.
Diomande gets the big chance
Vinicius' suspension opens up space for Yann Diomande, who was signed from RB Leipzig for 146 million euros. The Ivorian is the most expensive transfer in Real Madrid's history and gets the chance to make his first significant memory against Barcelona.
Mundo Deportivo notes that a strong performance by Diomande could increase his role in the squad. This would also affect Vinicius' position, but the final conclusions will depend on his performance in the upcoming match and the subsequent meetings between the two teams. New matches could be for the 2027 Spanish Super Cup, the Copa del Rey, the Champions League or the second leg of La Liga.
Sources: goal.com, as.com