Real Madrid did not seem to miss Vinicius Junior much against Brest in their final Champions League group phase game, and they have coped well in the game he was absent in through suspension.
However for the knockout stages, Carlo Ancelotti will be desperate to have him back, with a potential clash with Manchester City on the horizon.
Vinicius has missed three of Real Madrid’s last four games due to suspension, in which Real Madrid have scored 11 goals and conceded just once, albeit against opposition with less resources. He sat out the game against Brest due to picking up three bookings, the most recent against RB Salzburg.
As pointed out by Cadena SER though, a shift in the UEFA rules on discipline means that Ancelotti will be encouraging the Br azilian to maintain his cool in their play-off round. After receiving three bookings, a one-game ban is handed out, but the second suspension comes after just two yellow cards. A final ban requires just one booking to be handed out.
If Real Madrid are to win the Champions League, they will have to play 9 more games. Given Vinicius is currently averaging a booking every 2.6 games this season, he will have to rein in his discipline in order to avoid issues down the line, and potentially missing major clashes. The majority of his bookings this season have been for dissent, while his red card against Valencia was a reaction off the ball.
In addition to Vinicius, Bellingham also has two bookings going into the knockout phases. He is just one away from a ban. Once the play-off round has been completed, yellow cards are wiped for the quarter-finals and then again for the semi-finals. That could be a welcome reprieve for Carlo Ancelotti by the time it rolls around in March for the Round of 16.