Real Madrid superstar faces suspension risk heading into RB Salzburg clash | OneFootball

Real Madrid face a crucial match against RB Salzburg for a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup Round of 16. The game will take place in Philadelphia on Thursday night (Friday, June 27, at 03:00 Spanish time).

A win or even a draw would be enough for Xabi Alonso’s side to advance, where they could meet Manchester City or Juventus.

Vinicius Jr. at suspension risk

However, there’s a cloud hanging over Vinicius Jr.’s availability for that next round. The Real Madrid superstar is facing the risk of suspension heading into the match against Salzburg.

The Brazilian winger received a yellow card in Real Madrid’s opening match against Al-Hilal. If he picks up another booking against Salzburg, he would be suspended for the Round of 16.

FIFA Club World Cup rules stipulate that any player or official given a yellow card in two different games will miss their team’s subsequent match.

Vinicius one yellow card away from suspension. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

As such, should Vinicius get booked against Salzburg this week, he would be ruled out of Real Madrid’s Round of 16 clash where they could face one of Man City or Juventus.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up has had a fairly quiet start to the competition and will need to step up in the coming games but must also proceed with caution.

The slate is wiped clean after the quarter-finals, meaning cards do not carry over into the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid will go into Thursday night’s game without defender Raul Asencio, who will serve a one-match ban for his red card against Pachuca.

Kylian Mbappe also remains a doubt as he continues to recover from gastroenteritis.