Vinicius Set to Play as Real Madrid Gears Up for Supercup Semifinals
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Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Jan 8 (NationPress) Real Madrid's forward Vinicius Jr is set to participate in their Spanish Supercup semifinal clash against Mallorca on Thursday. This comes after the Brazilian received a two-match suspension in La Liga due to his expulsion in the match against Valencia last week.
In that match, Vinicius displayed a clear act of aggression towards Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski, leading to his red card. He was escorted down the tunnel as he voiced his protest against the decision. While such aggressive actions typically attract a suspension of 4-12 matches, the current ruling means he will only miss two league games, allowing him to participate in this significant event.
This development confirms that Vinicius is likely to start as Real Madrid faces last season's Cup runner-up, with the victorious team set to meet either Athletic Bilbao or Barcelona in the final on Sunday, according to Xinhua.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti has nearly a full squad at his disposal after resting essential players during the 5-0 Copa del Rey triumph against Deportiva Minera, a fourth-tier team.
Players like Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Rodrygo are also expected to be part of the lineup as Madrid aims to maintain the positive momentum that has propelled them to the top of La Liga.
Mbappe appears to be regaining the form that made it challenging for Madrid to finalize his transfer, while Bellingham has recovered from the fatigue that affected him after a busy summer.
In defense, Ancelotti faces a choice between Fran Garcia and Ferland Mendy for the left-back position, while Lucas Vazquez is anticipated to start on the right. The central defense will likely feature Antonio Rudiger and Aurelien Tchouameni.
Mallorca secured their spot in the Supercup as the runner-up in last season's Copa del Rey and are enjoying a solid season under coach Jagoba Arrasate, currently holding sixth place in La Liga with 30 points.
However, their most recent outing saw them eliminated from this season's Cup following a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Pontevedra, a fourth-tier team. Arrasate will need to motivate his players to elevate their performance after such a lackluster showing.
