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The opening El Clásico of the campaign is the marquee fixture of the weekend as Real Madrid make the trip to Barcelona's Camp Nou on Sunday. However, Los Blancos will arrive in Catalonia without one of the most impactful players in the rivalry's recent history: Vinícius Júnior.
Vinícius Jr was slapped with a four-match suspension after being dismissed for pulling the hair of Villarreal midfielder Nathan Saliba two weeks ago. Within seconds, the Brazilian went from netting a goal to receiving a straight red card, which carried an automatic two-game ban before two further matches were added due to his "aggressive" conduct.
The talismanic winger already sat out Real Madrid's 4–1 demolition of Sevilla in their last La Liga outing, and now he'll be forced to watch from home as Los Blancos take on league-leading Barcelona in Sunday's Clásico.
Vinícius Jr had appeared in Real Madrid's previous 21 matches against Barcelona, including the last 13 in La Liga. The opening Clásico of 2026–27 will mark the first time the Brazilian has missed the fixture since the start of the decade, and given his track record against Barça, his absence carries considerable weight.
Vinícius Júnior's El Clásico Career Stats
Few players have proven as influential in El Clásico's recent chapters as Vinícius Jr. His personality has also added to the spectacle of a rivalry already brimming with drama and controversy. There's no question the Brazilian is one of the defining faces of El Clásico's modern era and that, despite his recent difficulties, he remains a vital component of Real Madrid's squad.
His absence on Sunday will be deeply felt, particularly when you consider that you have to go all the way back to his opening 18 months at the club to find the only two El Clásicos he's missed since joining Real Madrid.
The Two El Clásicos Vinícius Júnior Has Missed for Real Madrid
Barcelona 5–1 Real Madrid (October 2018)
Real Madrid Starting XI: Courtois; Nacho, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos, Casemiro, Modrić; Bale, Benzema, Isco (Subs: Vázquez, Asensio, Mariano)
Barcelona Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba; Rakitić, Busquets, Arthur; Rafinha, Suárez, Coutinho (Subs: Semedo, Dembélé, Vidal)
Just under a month after Vinícius Jr made his Real Madrid debut, he wasn't even included in then-manager Julen Lopetegui's squad for the first El Clásico of the 2018–19 season, a match in which Los Blancos were thrashed 5–1 by their fierce rivals.
With Lionel Messi sidelined through injury, it was Luis Suárez who orchestrated Barcelona's triumph, completing the only hat trick of his Clásico career. Philippe Coutinho broke the deadlock for the Catalans, while Arturo Vidal rounded off Los Blancos' humiliation with a late fifth, even after Marcelo had pulled one back as a consolation in the second half.
The first Clásico of the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era proved a total disaster for Real Madrid, and Lopetegui was dismissed just one day after the crushing defeat.
Vinícius was 18 years old when the match was played, and he would go on to make his El Clásico debut the following February in a 1–1 draw at Camp Nou in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal.
Barcelona 0–0 Real Madrid (December 2019)
Real Madrid Starting XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Mendy; Valverde, Casemiro, Kroos; Bale, Benzema, Isco (Subs: Modrić, Rodrygo)
Barcelona Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba; Roberto, Rakitić, De Jong; Messi, Suárez, Griezmann (Subs: Vidal, Fati)
The most recent El Clásico without Vinícius Jr came in December 2019. Unlike the year before, then-manager Zinédine Zidane did include the Brazilian in the squad that made the journey to Camp Nou for the season's first Clásico, but the teenager remained an unused substitute in an uncommon 0–0 stalemate between the two sides.
Despite an abundance of attacking firepower on display — including Barcelona's newly assembled trio of Messi, Suárez and Antoine Griezmann, alongside Los Blancos' front line of Gareth Bale, Isco and Karim Benzema — the goalless affair produced a combined total of just six attempts on target between both teams.
Notably, Real Madrid and Barcelona's current captains, Federico Valverde and Frenkie de Jong, both made their first appearances in a league Clásico during that goalless encounter.
The final Clásico of the 2010s was far from a classic. It stands as the last meeting between the two clubs to end without a goal, and it also remains the last Clásico in which Vinícius Jr failed to feature — until Sunday's forthcoming showdown.