Vinicius absence and Diomande form give Real Madrid fresh El Clasico questions

The spotlight is already on Sunday’s El Clasico, with Real Madrid travelling to face Barcelona at Spotify Camp Nou in the 10th round of La Liga.

The match will occupy the attention of both managers, Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho and German boss Hansi Flick, as well as supporters across Spanish football.

Real Madrid go into the meeting with renewed confidence in attack after scoring 12 goals in their past three matches in La Liga and the Champions League.

They scored four against Roma, followed by another four against Leipzig in the Champions League, before beating Sevilla 4-0 in the league. Their tally in the past week is already higher than the 11 goals they managed across their previous six matches, when they averaged fewer than two per game.

Vinicius absence offers an unexpected boost

What makes that run particularly notable is that nine of those 12 goals came without Brazil forward Vinicius Junior playing a full part.

Real Madrid scored three goals against Roma after Vinicius had left the field, then added two after his departure against Leipzig. He missed the entire match against Sevilla because of suspension.

The club’s record without Vinicius in La Liga over the past three seasons is also striking. They have won 10 of the 11 matches in which the Brazilian has been absent, suffering only one defeat.

Vinicius will miss Sunday’s game against Barcelona, meaning Mourinho’s side will again have to operate without one of their most important attacking players. However, his absence could prove beneficial given the player’s recent drop in form and Real Madrid’s improved attacking output without him.

The latest displays have also highlighted the emergence of Ivorian winger Yan Diomande, who joined Real Madrid from Leipzig last summer.

Diomande has enjoyed his best spell since arriving in the Spanish capital, contributing to six goals in his past four matches. He has scored three and created three more, with five of those six contributions coming while he was operating on the left wing.

That is the position he is expected to occupy against Barcelona, placing him in direct competition with the role usually associated with Vinicius.

Diomande’s difference from Vinicius is not necessarily based on greater skill or speed, but on the simplicity of his decision-making. Rather than weighing up whether to dribble, pass or shoot, he appears to make his choice more quickly.

That quality has been evident in his recent assists. They have not depended on spectacular passes, but have instead been straightforward deliveries that fit naturally with the flow of the move.

Defensive concerns remain

Real Madrid’s attacking improvement has not resolved their defensive problems, which have appeared both with and without Vinicius.

Although they scored 12 times in their past three matches, they conceded in each of them. Five goals went past their goalkeeper during that run: three against Roma and one each against Leipzig and Sevilla.

That represents a rate approaching two goals conceded per match, a level that could prove costly against Barcelona’s attacking strength.

Real Madrid may therefore have found additional attacking solutions before El Clasico, but their defensive vulnerability threatens to undermine those improvements and decide the outcome at Spotify Camp Nou.