Real Madrid News
Real Madrid megastar’s place in the starting lineup against Atletico Madrid not in danger
Vinicius Jr. has been one of Real Madrid’s most disappointing players this season by some distance, and he has shown no signs of returning to his best.
The Brazilian star has scored just one goal in Real Madrid’s seven games this season and has not maintained the same level of attacking threat that he is classically associated with.
In fact, his dribbles now carry far less importance, and Real Madrid have found several other attacking outlets. For the first time in years, his place in the starting lineup is beginning to be called into doubt.
Vinicius will start at the weekend
Real Madrid are set for their biggest domestic game so far this weekend when they lock horns against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. Needless to say, the manager will have to deploy his strongest available XI on the night.
As reported by AS now, Vinicius continues to have Jose Mourinho’s immediate trust and will not be benched for the derby despite his poor form.
All signs point to the Brazilian winger starting against Los Rojiblancos, and he will look to make a strong impact.
With Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe living up to their billing, the pressure is on Vinicius to start delivering.
After all, Real Madrid’s performances have not been great this season, and he could end up as the scapegoat when an eventual slump arrives given his poor contributions.
Competition is silently arriving
Vinicius’ performance against Elche midweek was disastrous, and the player missed two big chances and hit the target just once.
He was taken off in the 68th minute, and Yan Diomande moved over to the left flank to provide cover. His display in the position was decent, but it opens up the door to dangerous territory for Vinicius.
If Diomande can make the most of his chances on the left, Mourinho will be presented with a serious option of starting him, Arda Guler, Bellingham and Mbappe, all together in attack.
Given Vinicius’ form, dropping him will not hurt half as much as fans expect at the moment, and the Brazilian winger does not have long to turn his situation around.
With the international break done and dusted, Real Madrid will be back in action this weekend in La Liga, where they will be looking to catch up to league leaders FC Barcelona.
Coming up for Jose Mourinho & co., who lost their last game before the international break, will be a home game against Villarreal on Saturday.
And, leading up to the game, the Spanish capital club have received welcome news on the injury front.
Mbappe back in group training
Indeed, as per MARCA, Kylian Mbappe will be available for Real Madrid’s match against Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Having been training individually so far this week, the France captain rejoined group training under Mourinho today, taking a concrete step forward towards making himself available for the game.
The forward looked relaxed and ready to work, putting his boots back on and joining the group as Real Madrid prepare for a demanding run of fixtures throughout October.
And, unless there is any unforeseen setback, everything suggests that Mbappe will be ready to start against the Yellow Submarine come Saturday.
Under scrutiny
The past few weeks have been nothing short of eventful for Mbappe, with his every action and movement under heavy scrutiny.
Playing for France, in Zinedine Zidane’s managerial debut, the 27-year-old superstar scored a goal before asking for a substitution due to a knee injury.
Having flown back to Madrid, he underwent tests, which confirmed the injury, although it was not as serious as was initially feared.
The forward then took week-long holiday with his partner that sparked some debate among supporters and attracted criticism from multiple quarters.
Mbappe returned to Madrid on Monday and participated in individual sessions at Valdebebas over the past couple of days. Now he has resumed normal training with his teammates.
There had been doubts over whether Mbappe would be able to face Villarreal after he picked up the injury on 25 September.
However, the recovery plan followed by the forward appears to have worked, and he is now expected to be in a fully fit condition for Saturday’s match.
