Vinicius Junior is set to miss Wednesday’s Champions League match against Liverpool after suffering a hamstring injury over the weekend.
The 24-year-old played the full 90 minutes as Real Madrid defeated La Liga rivals Leganes 3-0 on Sunday night.
However, the club confirmed that after an assessment by the medical staff, the Brazilian winger will be sidelined for several weeks due to the injury.
His absence for the upcoming fixture means Madrid will be without yet another key player as they face the Premier League and Champions League leaders.
“Following tests carried out today by the Real Madrid Medical Services on our player Vini Jr., he has been diagnosed with an injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg,” read a club statement on Monday. “His progress will be monitored.”
In addition to Vinicius, Madrid will also be missing Rodrygo, Eder Militao, Daniel Carvajal, David Alaba, and Lucas Vazquez for the showdown with Liverpool.
To make matters worse for coach Carlo Ancelotti, Aurelien Tchouameni could also be unavailable.
The midfielder was left out of the squad for the Leganes win and has not featured for either club or country since sustaining an ankle injury in the 3-1 loss to AC Milan earlier this month.
However, Spanish reports suggest Tchouameni is targeting a return to action against Liverpool, after being linked with a move to Anfield before joining Madrid in 2022.
On the other side, Liverpool will also be without key players for the clash.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker and forward Diogo Jota are both ruled out, while Trent Alexander-Arnold face a race against time to prove his fitness after missing Sunday’s 3-2 victory at Southampton.
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