Real Madrid could be without the services of Vinicius Junior for their next four matches following the red card that he received in Friday night's chaotic La Liga clash with Valencia at Mestalla.
The Brazil international was sent off in the latter stages of what proved to be a 2-1 victory for Carlo Ancelotti's side, with the forward handed a red card following an altercation with Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
Vinicius showed his anger towards the referee before leaving the field, and according to SPORT, the aggressive nature of his actions could mean that the South American is handed a four-game suspension.
As it stands, Vinicius will only miss the last-32 Copa del Rey clash with Deportiva Minera on Monday, but if the suspension is extended, then he could also be absent for the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup against Mallorca, in addition to a potential final against either Athletic Bilbao or Barcelona.
Real Madrid would then play in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey if they overcome Minera, and Vinicius would also sit that contest out if he was hit with a four-game suspension.
Much will depend on the interpretation of referee Soto Grato and the nature of his report, but Antonio Rudiger prevented his teammates from a worse situation when he helped usher him off the field.
"Sorry and thanks team!!!!!!" Vinicius posted on social media after the match.
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Vinicius could be hit with a four-game suspension
Real Madrid head coach Ancelotti said after the contest that the red card was harsh, claiming that both Vinicius and the Valencia goalkeeper should hand instead been given yellow cards.
"We felt the sending-off should have been two yellows, one for each player, but they showed Vini Jr. a red. We're going to appeal it, I'm not sure if they'll overturn it," said the Italian.
"We don't feel it was a red card. Dimitrievski laid hands on him and then there was Vini Jr.'s shove. Two yellows would have sufficed and that would have been it. I don't want to say he fell into the trap. Vini Jr. struggled a bit.
"He was playing outside in the first half and he just tried to play his game. Sometimes it all comes off for him, others not so much. I hope he can play in the next game because he's very much a player who makes the difference for us."
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Bellingham the matchwinner for Real Madrid after penalty miss
Jude Bellingham missed the chance to level the scores from the penalty spot early in the second period, but the England international came up with the assist for Luka Modric to level it at 1-1 in the 85th minute, before hitting the winner in the 95th minute of the chaotic fixture at Mestalla.
"He had a great game. The missed penalty gave him extra motivation and he played the last half hour as only he knows how. He worked hard and helped [Kylian] Mbappe up front. The goal was a reward for his performance," said Ancelotti when asked about Bellingham.
The victory moved Real Madrid to the top of the La Liga table, two points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid, who have now played a game fewer than their capital rivals.
Matt Law
