Why will Vinicius Jr miss Barcelona vs Real Madrid LaLiga 2026-27 clash?

Vinicius’ absence is a big loss for the visitors.

Real Madrid travel to Camp Nou to take on FC Barcelona in a marquee clash in LaLiga 2026-27 on Sunday night. This will mark the 265th iteration of the iconic El Clásico derby, which has defined Spanish football for decades.

Despite their pedigree, Los Blancos will enter this fixture as slight underdogs. They currently sit in third place in the table with 21 points, trailing league leaders Barcelona by six points.

Although they have won two consecutive league matches, Jose Mourinho’s side also suffered a 2-1 loss to local rivals Atletico Madrid on September 20. Along with their inconsistent form, the visitors will also be without a key player against Barcelona in the form of star winger Vinicius Jr.

The Brazilian winger is ruled out of El Clasico as it marks the second match of his four-game LaLiga suspension. This ban follows the straight red card that he received during the league match against Villarreal.

Also Read: Vinicius to miss El Clasico after being handed 4-match ban for red card

Why is Vinicius Jr suspended?

Vinicius received a straight red card during Real Madrid’s 1-0 win against Villarreal on October 10. He initially put the ball into the back of the net for what would have been Madrid’s second goal of the match.

However, a VAR review pointed out that he had pulled Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba’s hair during the build-up. As a result, the goal was overturned, and Vini was sent off. After being shown the red card, the Madrid winger reacted angrily towards the official and had to be pulled back by teammate Antonio Rudiger.

Following this, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) handed Vini a four-match ban. The hair-pulling incident earned him a two-match ban, while the remaining two matches were for his reaction towards the referee.

As a result, the Brazil international sat out Madrid’s 4-1 win against Sevilla on October 18 and is also ruled out of the game against Barcelona. Furthermore, he will miss the LaLiga games against Racing Santander and Valencia.

With Vini ruled out against Barcelona, Mourinho turned to the Ivorian winger Yan Diomande. The summer signing from RB Leipzig started in the match against Sevilla, scoring a goal and registering an assist. He also scored a goal against Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League.

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