Alonso says Vinicius will be key 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' rival Atletico Madrid in this weekend's Madrid derby.
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 the UEFA Champions League match against Marseille last week.
Vinicius also reacted angrily when he was withdrawn in last weekend's 2-0 win over Espanyol, prompting further questions about his relationship with Alonso.
But Vinicius responded by scoring the opening goal in Wednesday's (AEST) 4-1 rout of Levante, maintaining Madrid's perfect start to the season in LaLiga.
Madrid puts that record on the line against rival Atletico at Estadio Metropolitano this weekend, 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.
"We must not move away from what has happened, but we have to be prepared," he said. "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 holds a two-point lead over Barcelona at the summit, Los Blancos are already nine points clear of Atleti, which has struggled for form in the early stages of the season.
However, Julian Alvarez's hat-trick guided Diego Simeone's side to a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Rayo Vallecano in midweek, which the coahc hopes can be a turning point.
"We want to recover in the best way we can," Simeone said. "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."
