This Sunday, Real Madrid travels to Valencia, to Mestalla, for a particularly tricky match.
Still one point behind FC Barcelona, the Madrid team faces one of the toughest opponents in recent seasons in La Liga. Valencia has only lost three times in the last eight visits from Real to Mestalla, and the atmosphere around the stadium has been particularly tense for the past three years, especially for Vinicius Junior.
Vinicius Jr suspended
The Brazilian won’t make the trip: he is suspended after receiving his fifth yellow card of the season last weekend against Rayo Vallecano, resulting in an automatic one-match suspension in La Liga.
New injuries and uncertainties
Good news for the Merengues: Ferland Mendy and Trent Alexander-Arnold have been training normally for about ten days and will be available for this match. However, Antonio Rüdiger remains uncertain. He hasn’t been able to complete all the training sessions this week, so he might be a doubt for this game.
On his side, Éder Militão continues his recovery work and is still far from a return: he is not expected to play again until March. Jude Bellingham, also out after his injury against Rayo Vallecano, is set to miss the entire month of February.
Finally, Rodrygo is also unavailable. After a remarkable end to 2025, the Brazilian has struggled since the start of 2026 due to physical issues. He has been confirmed out by the club this Friday due to a hamstring injury.
