El Clasico: Vinicius’ Absence A Major Loss For Madrid — Barcelona Legend Alba

Barcelona legend Jordi Alba believes Real Madrid will feel the absence of Vinicius Junior in Sunday’s El Clasico, insisting the Brazilian winger remains one of the most dangerous players in the world despite his recent struggles.

Madrid will be without Vinicius for the blockbuster clash at the Spotify Camp Nou after the 25-year-old was handed a four-match suspension following his red card against Villarreal last weekend.

The forward was dismissed for pulling an opponent’s hair and then aggressively protesting the decision, and will also miss games against Sevilla, Racing and Valencia.

The suspension has sparked debate in Spain, with Diario AS claiming his absence could be “more a solution than a problem” for Los Blancos, given that Vinicius has scored just once in nine league appearances this season and Madrid have won their last four games without him, including a 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig in the Champions League.

But Alba, who faced Vinicius numerous times during his 11-year spell at Barcelona, has dismissed that narrative completely, positing that Vinicius is still an irreplaceable threat and his absence will be a significant blow for José Mourinho’s side.

“He’s an important player for them. He’ll miss the game, and that’s a significant loss. Real Madrid has a very deep squad to replace him, and whoever comes in will surely do very well,” Alba told Barca Universal.

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“He’s a very dangerous player in one-on-one situations. Very fast. He always created a lot of danger. In that sense, you didn’t want him facing Barcelona too often because he always had great games.”

While some fans argue the Clasico is better with all stars on the pitch, the former left-back said any absence of quality in the opposition makes life easier.

“Obviously. Some people say it’s good for the spectator to see everyone on the field, but I always say that anything less than top-quality players on the opposing team makes it easier to win,” he said.

Barcelona sit top of La Liga with 27 points from nine matches, six points ahead of Madrid in second, and have won seven games in a row in all competitions.

On who will emerge victorious, Alba backed his former club to come out tops.

“I’m predicting a win,” he said.

Barcelona would hope to put behind them last week’s 4-2 defeat to Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc Des Princes.