A few hours before the clash between Real Madrid and Barça in the first Clásico of the 2024-2025 season, Vinicius Junior’s form is causing a huge stir. On fire lately, the Madrid winger has made a mainstay of Barça’s defence ponder, prompting him to warn his teammates ahead of kickoff.
At their Santiago Bernabéu stadium, which will have its roof closed for the occasion, Real Madrid welcomes their fierce rival FC Barcelona this Saturday. As part of the eleventh matchday of Spain’s top division, Carlo Ancelotti’s side needs to claim the three points in this fixture to draw level with their opponent, currently leading the league. To go even further and potentially claim first place, Madrid would need to win by at least a five-goal margin.
While outright first place in terms of goal difference is not the immediate focus, Real Madrid is aiming to secure at least the minimum—a victory. To achieve this, Carlo Ancelotti will rely on his star Vinicius Junior, fresh off a hat-trick in the Champions League. Lining up in attack alongside Kylian Mbappé and Rodrygo Goes, the 24-year-old Madrid winger gave Dortmund’s defenders no reprieve, especially in the second half. In blistering form, the likely future Ballon d’Or 2024 winner will look to repeat his feat against Jules Koundé and Pau Cubarsi.
“I’ll need help”
Speaking of Barça’s defence, their French full-back shared his thoughts with the Spanish media on Friday. Ahead of the 9 p.m. (French time) and 7 p.m. (GMT) showdown, Jules Koundé clearly stated the challenge of defending alone against Vinicius Junior. Straightforwardly, the former Bordeaux player revealed the only way to contain the electrifying Madrid player, who surely wants to leave his mark again ahead of the Ballon d’Or ceremony next Monday at the Théâtre du Châtelet in France.
“How to stop him? It’s a team effort. Vinícius isn’t the kind of player you can shut down on your own, especially not for 90 minutes. He’s relentless, and there will be moments when I’ll need help; that’s normal, because it’s a team sport,” insisted Koundé, who also noted that he doesn’t fear the Brazilian international.
Koundé determined not to back down
Although he acknowledges the incredible form of his opponent in this Saturday’s Clásico, the mainstay of Barça’s defence said he is ready for the challenge. “Afraid of Vini? No, no. He’s obviously an excellent player. He’s the favourite for the Ballon d’Or, and I love competing against the best. Vinicius is probably their biggest threat, but they have other players who can turn matches on their own,” he concluded.
It’s worth noting that aside from this highly anticipated duel, other matchups will also take centre stage. Seeking to dispel any doubts about him, Ferland Mendy must deliver a top-level performance against Lamine Yamal in this Clásico… The same applies to Lucas Vazquez and Eder Militao, who struggled defensively in their last game against Borussia Dortmund.
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