Alonso backs 'fundamental' Vinicius to fire in Madrid derby

Xabi Alonso believes Vinicius Junior remains "fundamental" to Real Madrid's attack and is backing the Brazilian to fire against Los Blancos' rivals Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

Vinicius got off to an inauspicious start under new boss Alonso, who was forced to play down reports of a rift with the forward after leaving him on the bench for their Champions League opener against Marseille last week.

Vinicius also reacted angrily when he was withdrawn in Saturday's 2-0 win over Espanyol, prompting further questions about his attitude. 

But Vinicius responded by scoring the opening goal in Tuesday's 4-1 rout of Levante, maintaining Madrid's perfect start to the season in LaLiga.

On Saturday, Madrid put that record on the line against rivals Atletico at the Estadio Metropolitano, where Vinicius was targeted by racist abuse in a September 2022 derby.

Alonso is sure Vinicius will be in the right place to perform this weekend, saying: "We must not move away from what has happened, but we have to be prepared. We have our weapons, and Vini is fundamental for us. 

"I liked the things he did the other day; I like to see him smile. And for us, the preparation is going to be the same."

Madrid could receive a double boost ahead of the game, with Alonso declaring that Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga are both fit enough to start after returning from injury as substitutes last weekend.

"Both Jude and Camavinga could play, like all those in the squad. They can both play from the start," Alonso said.

"Jude is an attacking midfielder. He can both participate in the build-up and finish moves. He has that ability to cover a lot of the field. 

"The important thing is to arrive with the greatest possible advantage so that the defence is unbalanced. Some players are more static, but Jude is not one of those."

While Madrid hold a two-point lead over Barcelona at the summit, Los Blancos are already nine points clear of Atleti, who have struggled for form in the early stages of the season.

However, Julian Alvarez's hat-trick guided them to a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Rayo Vallecano in midweek, which Diego Simeone hopes can be a turning point.

"We want to recover in the best way we can," said Simeone. "We will have a really hard, difficult game against a side that has won all their games and have a tonne of very good players in their squad."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Atletico Madrid – Julian Alvarez

Alvarez scored the first hat-trick of his career in Europe's top five leagues across all competitions in midweek, on his 166th appearance for either Atleti or Manchester City.

He has four goals in LaLiga already this campaign, with Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe (seven) the only player to net more.

Real Madrid – Vinicius Junior

Vinicius will be desperate to make an impact against Atleti, having traditionally struggled in Madrid derbies.

He has not scored in any of his 11 LaLiga matches against Atleti (14 shots, seven on target), the opponent against whom he has played the most matches without scoring. 

MATCH PREDICTION – REAL MADRID WIN

Real Madrid have started a LaLiga season with six wins from their first six games for the sixth time, also doing so in 1958-59, 1961-62, 1968-69, 1987-88, 2022-23 and 2025-26). 

The last time they won their first seven games was in 1987-88 under Leo Beenhakker.  

Alonso, meanwhile, could equal the best start by a Madrid coach in their history in LaLiga, with Vanderlei Luxemburgo the last boss to win his first seven games at the helm in 2005.

Atleti should at least put up a fight. They have only lost one of their last 22 home games in LaLiga (16 wins, five draws) and have scored at least one goal in each of their last 20 such matches (45 goals in total, 2.25 average).

Real Madrid have drawn their last three derbies against Atleti in LaLiga and have only previously drawn four in a row on two occasions, between 1951 and 1952, then between 2017 and 2018. Given their early-season form, they are favourites to go one better here.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Atletico Madrid – 33.8%

Real Madrid – 40.2%

Draw – 26%