Vinicius Jr slams UEFA as Real Madrid star ruled out of Liverpool tie
Vinicius is expected to be sidelined for around three weeks
Vinicius Jr has been ruled out of Real Madrid’s Champions League tie against Liverpool on Wednesday night due to a hamstring injury, with the Brazilian winger expressing frustration over the packed fixture schedule.
The 24-year-old played the full 90 minutes in Sunday’s 3-0 win over Leganes but will not travel to Merseyside on Tuesday after Real Madrid confirmed he sustained an injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg.
Vinicius is expected to be sidelined for around three weeks.
Taking to social media, he criticised the busy calendar, which has been intensified by UEFA’s recent decision to expand the Champions League by at least two matches.
He wrote, “Crazy calendar. Time to recover.”
In addition to Vinicius Jr, Real Madrid will also be without Lucas Vazquez and Aurelien Tchouameni for the crucial encounter.
With the Spanish giants currently sitting 18th in the group stage, the match carries significant weight for them, whereas Liverpool, who lead the group, remain the only team with a 100% record after four rounds.
Real Madrid’s injury woes mean that Federico Valverde is expected to continue at right-back, a position he has filled in recent matches.
Ancelotti joked that Valverde is the “best in the world” at right-back, amid speculation linking Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold to a potential summer move to Madrid.
“Lucas and Tchouameni… we don’t know, but we’ll try to get them back. The truth is that Fede, at the back, did very well,” Ancelotti said after the Leganes win.
“Valverde, he’s a fantastic full-back. After Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez, he’s the best right-back in the world.
“His problem is that he can play at this level in many positions and the coach’s problem is choosing his best position for the team.
“But I liked him at the back, he has incredible speed.
“We’ll see if Lucas and Tchouameni can recover. If not, we’ll make decisions.”
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