By our reporter 8.5.2026
Vinícius Jr. will captain Real Madrid as they face Barcelona in Sunday’s LaLiga El Clásico tie.
Real Madrid head to Nou Camp on Sunday ravaged by injuries to Kylian Mbappe, Dani Carvajal and dressing room upheavals, which saw Federico Valverde row with teammate Aurelien Tchouameni on Thursday.
A win or draw for Barcelona will earn them the title. Real Madrid won the first El Clasico 2-1 in October.
Meanwhile Valverde has dismissed reports he was in a fight with Tchouameni
” I had an incident with a teammate during a training session. Fatigue from competition and frustration made everything blown out of proportion,” he wrote on Instagram.
“We had another disagreement. During the argument, I accidentally hit my forehead on a table, causing a small cut that required a routine visit to the hospital.
He added: “I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry because this situation hurts me, this moment we’re going through hurts me. Real Madrid is one of the most important things in my life, and I can’t be indifferent to it.”