Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr will miss Sunday's match against Sevilla after his four-match suspension was confirmed. The Appeal Committee rejected the club's appeal on Friday, meaning the Brazilian will begin serving the ban immediately.
The sanction, which will also rule him out of the Clásico against Barcelona, stems from two offences in the match against Villarreal. He received a two-game ban for pulling Nathan Saliba's hair while the ball was in play and a further two matches for aggressively confronting the referee after being sent off. Referee Isidro Díaz showed the red card for the incident, which occurred in the 73rd minute with play stopped.
In his match report, referee Díaz de Mera detailed the player's conduct. "In the 73rd minute of the match, with play stopped, the home club's player number 7 D." he stated.
Real Madrid, in their appeal, argued that the sanction was disproportionate. However, the Appeal Committee considered that the player's actions were correctly classified under the regulations and that the sanction was appropriate to the severity of the offences. The decision is final and no further appeal is possible.
Impact on the buildup
This absence provides a tactical boost for a Sevilla side arriving at the Bernabéu off the back of a 3-3 draw with Levante. Quique Sánchez Flores's team sits fifth in La Liga with 14 points, just behind fourth-placed Real Madrid. Sunday's clash is therefore a direct opportunity to close the gap in the standings.
The loss of Vinicius, one of Madrid's most decisive players, alters the pre-match calculations. Sevilla, with an inconsistent recent run of form (DLLWW in their last five), will look to capitalise on this circumstance at a always difficult venue. The match is scheduled for 18 October at 21:00 at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid's manager, will have to reorganise his attack. Rodrygo Goes and Joselu Mato are the natural candidates to occupy the left flank, while Jude Bellingham could take on a more offensive role. For their part, Sevilla are relying on the good form of their forward line, led by Youssef En-Nesyri, to cause an upset in the capital.
The report in full is at ABC Deportes
