Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior will miss their Champions League clash with Liverpool on Wednesday due to a leg injury.
Only Robert Lewandowski has scored more goals in La Liga than the Brazilian this season, with him also contributing with five assists.
Vini Jr also sits near the top of Champions League scoring charts, mainly due to his hat trick against Borussia Dortmund on matchday three.
While not being able to net in the 3-0 win at Leganes on Sunday, Vini Jr has still scored nine goals in his last seven games, and his record against English clubs gives further reason for Los Blancos supporters to be hugely disappointed at his absence.
Vini Jr: The scourge of English opposition
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Premier League clubs, and in particular Liverpool, have not enjoyed coming face-to-face with Real Madrid's electric attacker in recent years.
The 24-year-old has 17 career goals and assists against English opposition in just 15 matches, with his most notable being the Champions League-winning goal against Liverpool in the 2022 final.
In the remarkable 5-2 win on their last visit to Anfield in 2023, Vini netted twice to drag Carlo Ancelotti's side back into the game after going 2-0 down, adding to his career tally of five goals against the Reds.
A behind-closed-doors quarter-final in 2021 was the first time Liverpool were exposed to the talent of the Brazilian, who scored twice in a 3-1 home win for Real Madrid on the way to progressing to the semi-finals.
Manchester City have also suffered at the hands of Vini Jr, with two goals and three assists for him, while the 2022 quarter-final win over Chelsea was also greatly aided by the Brazilian, who has five career assists against the Blues.
Who could replace Vini Jr?
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Vini Jr's injury has come at an awful time for Ancelotti, who is already dealing with a number of injuries all over the pitch.
Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao are both out for the season, while David Alaba's lengthy setback keeps him out still for the time being.
Lucas Vazquez and Aurelien Tchouameni have both proven they are capable of filling in for defensive absentees, but they also find themselves on the sidelines at present.
In attack, Vini Jr's Brazilian compatriot Rodrygo remains out after missing the international fixtures and the win over Leganes.
That saw Vini Jr joined in attack by Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler at the weekend, and the young Turk might be handed his first big opportunity in the Real team against Liverpool this week.
Endrick could also be used from the start, allowing Mbappe to move to his favoured left-wing position, while Jude Bellingham is also capable of moving forward into a more advanced false nine position, which worked wonders last season.
Andrew Delaney
