Why is Vinicius Junior not playing for Real Madrid against Getafe in La Liga?
Real Madrid visit Getafe on Sunday for Matchday 9 of the 2025–26 La Liga season in a key clash as they look to reclaim top spot after FC Barcelona’s win on Saturday. However, questions quickly arose when star forward Vinícius Júnior was nowhere to be found in the starting lineup.
Barcelona’s dramatic 2–1 win over Girona in the final minutes sent the Catalan side to the top of the table with 22 points. With just one week to go before El Clásico, Los Blancos were expected to respond, but the starting eleven for the Getafe game raised some eyebrows.
Vinícius Júnior will not start against Getafe due to a technical decision made by head coach Xabi Alonso. While the club hasn’t disclosed the specific reason for the Spaniard’s choice, reports suggest that the Brazilian is being rested ahead of a crucial stretch of fixtures.
Vinícius featured during Brazil’s Asia tour over the October international break, playing matches against South Korea and Japan. Considering Real Madrid face Juventus in midweek Champions League action and Barcelona next weekend, Alonso is believed to be managing the winger’s workload to preserve his fitness for those decisive encounters.
During his pre-match press conference, Alonso also discussed Vinícius’ versatility and the possibility of using him in a central attacking role, similar to his position with Brazil:: “With us, he has played more as a winger than as a striker, but we’ve also been able to use him in that position. Brazil made a rotation that worked very well in that match, and it’s a possibility we could explore in the future with other players.”
So far in the 2025–26 campaign, Vinícius Júnior has been working to rediscover his best form under Alonso’s new system, which has involved more rotation. Even so, the forward remains highly productive — he’s currently Real Madrid’s second-leading scorer and top assist provider, with five goals and four assists in 10 appearances across all competitions. It marks his strongest start to a La Liga season since 2022–23, a promising sign after a difficult previous campaign.
Confirmed lineups for Getafe and Real Madrid
Getafe’s confirmed lineups (4-5-1): David Soria; Juan Iglesias, Domingos Duarte, Djene, Diego Rico; Kiko Femenia, Mario Martin, Luis Milla, Mauro Arambarri, Alex Sancris; Adrian Liso.
Head coach: Jose Bordalas.
Real Madrid’s confirmed lineups (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois; Federico Valverde, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Alvaro Carreras; Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga; Franco Mastantuono, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo; Kylian Mbappe.
Head coach: Xabi Alonso.