Vinícius Júnior has not played for Real Madrid since suffering his hamstring injury in the LaLiga win over Leganés at the end of last month.
Vinicius Júnior is set to return to the Real Madrid line-up on Tuesday as the European champions look to turn their Champions League campaign around in a nail-biting clash against Serie A leaders Atalanta.
Vinícius has missed Madrid's last four games due to a hamstring injury sustained in the LaLiga win against Leganés on November 24, but has returned to Los Merengues' matchday squad for the trip to Bergamo.
Vinícius “in good form,” says Real Madrid boss
Speaking to reporters after the team's arrival in Italy, Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti said he would wait until after the final pre-game training later on Monday before making a decision on the Brazilian's involvement in the match on matchday six in the Gewiss Stadium.
The Italian added that he would also use the practice session in Bergamo to check the fitness of Vinicius' compatriot, Rodrygo Goes, who sat out Madrid's weekend win over Girona with a muscle injury.
“He [Vinícius] is in good form,” said Ancelotti. “Today's training will be very important, just like with Rodrygo. The only fitness doubts we have concern Vinicius and Rodrygo. We will make a decision after training.”
While Vinicius and Rodrygo are set to return, Madrid are without Eduardo Camavinga (hamstring), as well as long-term injury victims David Alaba, Dani Carvajal and Éder Militao (all ACL).
Madrid go into the match against Atalanta in a precarious position in the new 'competition phase' of the Champions League. After consecutive defeats to AC Milan and Liverpool, Los Blancos are in 24th place in the 36-team standings, with the bottom twelve players from Europe eliminated. The top eight teams automatically qualify for the last 16, while the clubs ranked ninth to 24th must go through a play-off round to reach the knockout stage proper.
Atalanta vs Real Madrid: when, where, how to watch?
Atalanta will host Real Madrid at Gewiss Stadium on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, with kick-off in Bergamo scheduled for 3:00 PM ET/12:00 PM PT. Viewers in the US can watch the game on TUDN USA, UniMás, Paramount+ and ViX. You can also stream the action on the online platform fubo, which offers a free trial.
As Madrid battles to avoid early elimination from the Champions League, Atalanta go into matchday six in a good position to qualify directly for the last 16. Gian Pier Gasperini's men are fifth in the standings, having gone unbeaten in their opening five matches. In their most recent Champions League appearance, Atalanta defeated Swiss club Young Boys 6-1 in Bern.
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