Ancelotti hopeful Madrid star Vinicius will avoid suspension

Real Madrid are hopeful Vinicius Junior will avoid a suspension after being sent off in their 2-1 comeback win over Valencia, head coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Sunday.

At a pre-match press conference, Ancelotti confirmed Vinicius is travelling to Cartagena for Monday’s Copa del Rey match against fourth-tier Deportiva Minera.

The Brazilian winger was sent off for slapping Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski during Friday’s game in LaLiga, but Ancelotti is confident he will escape even the minimum two-game suspension.

“It wasn’t a red, it was a yellow, and that’s why we hope he will not face any suspension,” Ancelotti told reporters.

Ancelotti added that Vinicius is under immense mental stress due to being subjected to racist abuse on several occasions while playing in Spain.

“It’s difficult being in his shoes. It’s not easy to endure everything he goes through, including the insults,” Ancelotti said.

“It’s not simple, but he’s trying to improve. He’s upset about it and has apologised; we need to look ahead.

“We hope he won’t face a suspension. The only two who are not travelling are Thibaut Courtois and Antonio Rudiger. The rest are all travelling.”

Our best goals in the Round of 32 of the Copa del Rey!
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— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) January 5, 2025

Ancelotti added that he had no issue with the new Copa del Rey regulations that mandate LaLiga clubs start with at least seven players from their first-team squad.

“We have to respect it, and I have no problem with this rule. I want to give minutes to those who have played less,” he added.

Meanwhile, Madrid have missed three of their last four penalties, including two from Kylian Mbappe and Ancelotti is working to improve their performance from the spot.

“It’s a technical aspect that’s very difficult to manage. There are good penalty takers, but what changes is the atmosphere in the stadiums,” the Italian added.

“I want to clarify the matter for us as well. I will clarify it before the match… it could be Vinicius, Mbappe, Jude [Bellingham], Arda Guler. We’ll see how I feel.”