Vinicius Junior under pressure to deliver in Madrid derby

Real Madrid will bid to keep pace with Barcelona at the top of the La Liga standings when they face Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday.

Madrid trail Barcelona by three points after winning five of their six matches.

Vinicius Junior’s form is one of the talking points ahead of the Madrid derby. The 26-year-old has bagged one goal and three assists in seven games.

However, some supporters are unhappy with his attacking output. He was booed by sections of the Bernabeu crowd during the Champions League victory over Inter Milan.

Vinicius needs to answer his critics with an outstanding performance against Atletico.

The Brazil international has scored three goals against Diego Simeone’s side, two of which came in last season’s derby at the Bernabeu Stadium.

Vinicius will fancy himself against Atletico. His underlying attacking numbers suggest that he is still a crucial player for Madrid.

He ranks third for shots on target and key passes per league game in the Madrid squad. Only three players have created higher big chances and successful dribbles per game than the Brazilian winger.

With Kylian Mbappe often operating on the left flank, Vinicius can drift into the central areas to hurt Atletico.

Manager Jose Mourinho will be hoping that Mbappe, Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham continue their impressive start to the season in Sunday’s derby.

However, Vinicius could be under greater scrutiny if Madrid lose this weekend.