Real Madrid suffer major injury setback as 24-year-old star set for 3-week spell on sidelines: Reports
Real Madrid are reportedly set to be without attacker Vinicius Junior for up to three weeks. The 24-year-old played the full 90 minutes in the 3-0 La Liga win at Leganes on Sunday (November 24).
Vinicius didn't score on the night but assisted Kylian Mbappe's first-half opener. Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham netted in the second period as Los Blancos' second straight league win moved them to within four points of leaders Barcelona with a game in hand.
However, victory seems to have come at a cost. That's because as reported by AranchaMOBILE (via Madrid Zone), Vinicius injured the femoral biceps of his left leg and faces three weeks on the sidelines. The hope is that he would be available for the FIFA Club World Cup final, scheduled on December 18.
A tweet from AranchaMOBILE (via El Partidazo de COPE) reads (as translated from Spanish):
"Vinicius suffers an injury to the femoral biceps of his left leg. Their goal is to reach the Intercontinental final on December 18."
Vinicius has been in good form recently, registering 12 goals and eight assists in 18 games across competitions. That includes eight goals and seven assists in 13 games in the league, with the four other goals coming in the UEFA Champions League.
After 13 games, the holders are second in the standings, having notched up 30 points, winnng nine times. Carlo Ancelotti's side are next in action in the Champions League, where they travel to Premier League leaders Liverpool on Wednesday (November 27).
What happened when Real Madrid last played Liverpool?
Real Madrid have a good record against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League, winning seven of 11 meetings, losing thrice. That includes wins home and away in the Round of 16 of the 2022-23 edition of the competition.
In a hard-fought first-leg clash at the Santiago Bernabeu, Los Blancos narrowly prevailed 1-0, thanks to a second-half strike from Karim Benzema. Ancelotti's side would run riot in the return leg at Anfield, winning 5-2.
After Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah had put Liverpool in front on aggregate, Madrid would score five times without reply. The floodates opened with Vinicius Junior's first-half brace before Eder Militao made it 3-2 on the night.
Benzema joined the fray with a second-half brace, adding to his first-leg strike, to take his team through to the quarter-finals with a resounding 6-2 aggregate victory.