Why Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham Aren’t Playing for Real Madrid vs. Valencia

Mestalla’s floodlights will shine on Sunday without two of Real Madrid’s brightest stars. Winger Vinicius Junior and midfield linchpin Jude Bellingham have both been ruled out of the La Liga showdown against Valencia, leaving Álvaro Arbeloa to plot a way to close the gap on Barcelona without his most explosive talents.

Vinicius will watch from afar after picking up his fifth yellow card of the domestic campaign in last weekend’s 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano, triggering an automatic one-match suspension. The timing spares the Brazilian a return to a venue where he has repeatedly found himself at the eye of a storm; in May 2023 three Valencia supporters were arrested after directing racist abuse toward him, and last season’s fixture ended with the forward sent off amid renewed flashpoints. While Valencia languish in 16th place and were brushed aside 4-0 by Madrid in November, recent history suggests the visit is rarely routine.

Bellingham’s absence is more prolonged. A hamstring strain suffered in training is expected to sideline the England international until at least early March, with the home match against Celta Vigo on 8 March pencilled in as a possible return date. Should recovery stall, the subsequent fixture versus Elque a week later is the fallback, but any setback would place the derby versus Atlético Madrid in jeopardy. In the meantime, Madrid will definitely be without their No. 5 for both legs of the Champions League knockout playoff against Benfica as well as league meetings with Real Sociedad, Osasuna and Getafe.

Arbeloa, aware that a victory on Sunday would slice Barcelona’s lead to a single point before a kind February schedule, struck a defiant tone when pressed on the twin voids. “It’s a significant loss, but I have an extraordinary squad for that,” he said. “Let’s not forget that I think we have 17 players here who were European champions a year and a half ago, and with them we’ll overcome any absences we have.”

With the Spanish Super Cup already surrendered and a Copa del Rey exit compounding an erratic November, Madrid’s pursuit of major silverware this season now hinges almost entirely on overhauling their Catalan rivals in La Liga. Doing so will require navigating a feisty Mestalla atmosphere and a Valencia side desperate for points at the bottom end of the table—all while two of the squad’s headline acts remain in the stands.