During Real Madrid’s slender victory over Celta Vigo on Friday, Vinicius Junior suffered a hamstring injury, which has since been reported as being more serious than first thought. The 22-year-old is expected to miss at least four weeks of action, although it could be even more.
As well as missing numerous Real Madrid fixtures, Vinicius will miss Brazil’s first two World Cup qualification matches against Bolivia and Peru, scheduled for the ninth and 13th of September. He had been named in the squad for those fixtures, but injury has ruled him out.
Barcelona’s Raphinha was a surprise omission from the Brazil squad, although the CBF have now confirmed that he has been called up as a replacement for the stricken Vinicius.
O atacante Vinicius Jr, do Real Madrid, foi desconvocado da Seleção Brasileira Principal. O médico da Seleção, Dr. Rodrigo Lasmar, entrou em contato com o departamento médico do Real Madrid, que enviou o laudo dos exames.
Foi atestada a lesão muscular na região posterior da coxa… pic.twitter.com/XLqa8LMVVR
— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) August 29, 2023
Raphinha has missed Barcelona’s last two matches after being sent off in their LaLiga opener against Getafe, although he is available for this weekend’s trip to Osasuna. He will hope to contribute before jetting off with Brazil.
