Vinícius and Bellingham, pending accounts with the derby

Real Madrid players Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham face this Saturday (21.00) at the Santiago Bernabéu another derby against Atlético de Madrid, a team to which the Brazilian has only made a goal and the English midfielder could not be released in the last five Encounters that both teams played.

After the French striker Kylian Mbappé lost the derby of the first round in the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, the Santiago Bernabéu can enjoy the gala trident in attack, although all of them, especially the ‘7’ and the ‘5’, They continue with their pending accounts against the rojiblancos, with a worrying scoring drought.

In the case of the Brazilian, since he signed for Real Madrid in 2018 he has played 14 derbies, but he has only seen door in one of them: the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey of the 2022-2023 season, a match that ended with 3-1 for the whites and where he scored the final goal and with the matches overturned in the extension in search of the tie.

The best version of Vinícius could not celebrate any so much against the rojiblancos last year, despite the fact that the two teams crossed four times, in the league, cup and supercopa. Something worrying and strange, since last campaign he converted 21 goals and 10 assists, but none of them in front of Diego Pablo Simeone’s.

And it is that the Argentine defensive framework works, so far, wonderful against the Brazilian, in very emotional and hot games, deactivating football of ‘7’, most occasions very focused on personal ‘battles’ and ending even even desperate and with four yellow in 14 games (8v, 4E and 2D). This Saturday will have a new opportunity, after a period in which, for sanctions, it has not had much continuity.

Nor is it the best scenario for a Bellingham who last year, the first at Real Madrid, broke all his personal offensive records. But, while it did shine with FC Barcelona-two goals in Montjuïc in the triumph (1-2) white and the third goal in La Victoria (3-2) in the Bernabéu-, the derbies against the ‘Atleti’ did not help .

The English, who played much more advanced than he is doing this season, ended 23 goals and 11 assists the 2023-2024, but, like the Brazilian, none of them went to the rojiblancos. Of the four games, Bellingham played practically everything in the four derbies of the last campaign, with extensions included in Cup and Super Cup, but without a goal in the form of a goal, and without impact neither in the first round of this campaign in the Metropolitan.

Like last year, the English midfielder, who after a good offensive streak accumulates a goal in his last seven games, is once again one of the great threats against the rojiblancos, although from another perspective, more focused on the construction and fluidity of the fluidity of the Madrid play, with much more goal responsibility for Mbappé. Thus, both ‘Vini’ and Bellingham take exam in their great pending subject.