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Ahmed Abdelhamid
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Will he turn the tables? Vinicius Junior loses his battle with Mbappe

Match
Real Madrid vs Malaga
Real Madrid
Malaga
LaLiga
Real Betis vs Real Madrid
Real Betis
Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano
Elche vs Real Madrid
Elche
Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
Vinicius Junior
K. Mbappe
Spain
Brazil
France

Will last season's scenario repeat itself?

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There is a 30-day money-back guarantee for new users. The plan is available on a one-month rolling contract, although those that sign up for a 12-month plan (offering one year plus an extra three months) can save around 60%, while those that sign up for a two-year plan (offering two years plus an extra four months) can save 67%. Both longer-term plans include a 3GB holiday.com eSIM that is valid for five days in 150+ destinations.

Over 28 monthsSave 67%
Protect 10 devices with high-speed VPN
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Basic

Those that sign up for ExpressVPN's entry-level Basic plan gain access to a high-speed VPN, which offers high-capacity 40Gbps servers in many high-demand locations, with VPN servers in 113 countries worldwide.

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Additionally, ExpressVPN's Basic plan includes the ExpressMailGuard, which offers a 10MB/month private email relay plus 10 shared aliases.

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Over 28 monthsSave 80%
Advanced protection across 11 devices with high-speed VPN
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Vinicius Junior has begun to lose some of his standing within Real Madrid, amid a renewed rivalry with Kylian Mbappe. The last three matches told the story: a clear advantage for the French star in terms of minutes played, coinciding with a dip in the Brazilian winger's numbers at the start of the season.

According to a report published by the Spanish newspaper "Marca", Vinicius came off the pitch in three straight matches: against Inter in the 87th minute, Rayo Vallecano in the 89th, then Elche in the 68th. That reflects a gradual shift in Jose Mourinho's thinking compared with the start of the season.

Mourinho had wanted a careful balance between Vinicius and Mbappe in the first four matches. Both started against Espanyol, Real Sociedad, Malaga and Real Betis, and the gap between their minutes played never exceeded six.

Then the picture changed. Mbappe has now played 630 minutes against 598 for Vinicius, and the Frenchman has completed six matches to the Brazilian's three.

All this comes with Mbappe enjoying a blistering goalscoring start, having netted 8 goals in 7 matches. Vinicius, by contrast, has managed just one goal and 3 assists, plus a penalty won against Real Betis.

His decline is not limited to the numbers. Competition for his position has intensified with the impressive form of Brahim Diaz and Espi, then the arrival of Diomande on the scene. That gives Mourinho extra options and makes keeping the two stars in balance far harder.

Yet Marca's report does not view the situation as having reached the crisis stage seen last season between Vinicius and Xabi Alonso over the player being hauled off so often. The Brazilian remains central to Mourinho's plans.

The newspaper points out that the rivalry between Vinicius and Mbappe has followed similar patterns in past seasons, one shining while the other faded.

Last season, Vinicius struggled through the first half while Mbappe was at his peak. The scene then flipped later on, with the Brazilian in fine form and the Frenchman's output tailing off.
This season, Mbappe has once again begun to impose himself, while Vinicius is still chasing his best version. Slowly, that has fed into the balance of minutes and playing time between the pair.

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