Real Madrid enters the final league-stage match of the 2024/25 Champions League in an uncomfortable position, sitting 16th in the standings. With just 12 points, Carlo Ancelotti’s team is outside the automatic qualification zone for the round of 16. To make matters worse, they’ll face Brest without their top player this European season: Vinicius Junior.
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It will, in fact, be an absolute nightmare for Spanish aspirations due to his accumulated yellow cards. The moment that Vini Jr has kept them questioning-how will his absence influence the game or Real Madrid's destiny in this competition-must have everything on its place and preparedness for him.
Importance of Vini Jr. to Real Madrid
The importance of Vini Jr. to Real Madrid in this year's Champions League is just impossible to talk about. He has scored seven goals in just six matches, with one assist, during the competition. Besides that, Vini has established himself as a key figure in Madrid's attack, being named Man of the Match in two crucial games, against RB Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund.
The Salzburg game was, specially, one of those remarkable matches that, in addition to what Vinicius did on the field, reaches an impressive 100 goals while wearing a Real Madrid jersey, which definitively cements his place among the standout names in the club's recent history.
Now, with the Brazilian ruled out, the question will be who's going to take the leading role in a game that could well define Real Madrid's future in the Champions League: Mbappé, Bellingham, or Rodrygo? Or is there going to be a surprise?
A high-pressure round
The visit of Brest comes at a worse time, though. Being current Champions League winners only complicates life for Real Madrid, who must win to stir a combination of results in order not to enter the playoffs and thus secure their place directly into the round of 16. For a club like Real Madrid and with that competitive mentality, depending on others' good will is really too distressing.
In addition to Vinicius Junior's absence, some other important absences are those of Camavinga, Carvajal, and Militão. Militão has been absent after his serious injury in recent months, at a time when he could have provided command in the defence. As replacements, the coach called five academy players like Sergio Mestre, Jacobo, Asencio, Pol Fortuny, and Gonzalo-an unarguably brave decision ahead of such an important match.
The table and the math of qualification
The Champions League league stage in 2024/25 has an innovative format but a very challenging one. With 36 teams in a single group, only the top eight will directly qualify for the round of 16, leaving a very small margin for error. Real Madrid, currently in 16th place, is outside this elite group and would have to play the playoffs to advance to the knockout stage.
However, there’s still hope for direct qualification. For that, Real Madrid must beat Brest and hope for other teams above them in the table to slip up. The mission is difficult but not impossible. After all, we’re talking about the most decorated club in the history of the competition, one accustomed to high-pressure moments and improbable comebacks.