Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid starting lineup against Barcelona | Copa del Rey final
In two hours, Real Madrid will step out on the field at Estadio de La Cartuja to take on Barcelona in the finals of the Copa del Rey.
Ahead of the massive encounter in Seville, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has announced the starting lineup for the match with some major calls made.
As expected, Kylian Mbappe has been left out on the bench despite returning from injury as he is still not 100% fit.
Instead, Ancelotti has gone with a two-pronged attack consisting the Brazilian duo of Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Jr.
Ferland Mendy is back after over a month out with injury and starts at left-back while Lucas Vazquez gets the nod on the right. Raul Asencio and Antonio Rudiger feature as the centre-backs with Thibaut Courtois in goal over Andriy Lunin.
Meanwhile, the Real Madrid boss has opted for a four-man midfield unit for the final against Barcelona. Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Dani Ceballos, and Jude Bellingham make up the quartet.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial para la final de la Copa del Rey!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) April 26, 2025
🆚 @FCBarcelona_es
👉 @UnicajaBanco pic.twitter.com/kR7qqCJGIO
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
