Real Madrid have been handed two massive injury blows ahead of El Clasico against Barcelona.
On Tuesday, Los Blancos came from 2-0 down to beat Borussia Dortmund 5-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu, courtesy of a hat-trick from Vinicius Junior.
Having already netted a tap-in to level the scores, Vinicius picked up the ball in his own half, raced down the left-flank, beating Emre Can with pace, before cutting onto his right foot and firing a shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
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For his third, the Brazilian slalomed past three defenders before hammering a strike into the roof of the net.
Real’s victory, alongside Vinicius’ shot-stopping performance, will give Madridistas confidence going into their clash with Barcelona at the Bernabeu on Saturday.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men will be depleted for El Clasico however, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo both set to be absent.
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Courtois has suffered a muscle injury and is expected to be out for two weeks, including for Saturday’s El Clasico.
The Belgium international played the full match against Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday but the club have since confirmed that he had “an injury to the adductor muscle of his left leg”.
The ex-Chelsea keeper, 32, is set to be replaced in the starting line-up by Andriy Lunin, who played 31 matches for Real side last term while Courtois was absent with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
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Meanwhile, the Athletic reported that Brazil wide-man Rodrygo had also endured an injury and will not be available for the weekend fixture.
The publication added that the player is set to undergo an MRI scan on Thursday, after which the club will get a clear picture of the extent of his injury.
Barcelona are currently three points ahead of Real at the summit of La Liga.
Topics: Real Madrid, El Clasico, Vinicius Junior, Thibaut Courtois, Rodrygo, Barcelona
Chris Byfield