Vinicius Junior returns to the Real Madrid squad in Athens tonight, available again in Europe while his domestic suspension still keeps him out of La Liga, as Jose Mourinho's side chase a fourth straight Champions League win against AEK Athens.
Madrid arrive at the ALLWYN Arena in fifth place in the league phase with a perfect nine points from three games, having beaten Inter, Roma and RB Leipzig, and on a run of six straight wins in all competitions. Sunday's 3-0 win at Racing Santander, settled by Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande, kept the momentum rolling — but it was another league game Vinicius could only watch.
Vinicius back — but Diomande has changed the question
The Brazilian has missed three La Liga matches through suspension and still has time left on a four-match domestic ban, but that ban does not apply in Europe, and he was named in the travelling squad confirmed this morning, as reported by SiempreMadrid. Mourinho, however, refused to guarantee him a start. "Vinicius's situation right now is very simple: he's not playing in La Liga, but he is in the Champions League. And I want him, I want him a lot," the Madrid coach said. "And with this, I'm not saying he's going to be a starter, but I'm not saying he's going to be a problem either."
The caution is understandable. Diomande has been outstanding in Vinicius's absence, with four goals and four assists in six games since the international break, including a stunning strike at Racing. For the first time in years, the left-wing place at Madrid is a genuine selection debate rather than an automatic pick — and tonight is Vinicius's chance to answer it on the pitch.
Team news: Guler and Tchouameni rested, Valverde back
Mourinho has used the trip to manage minutes. Arda Guler and Aurelien Tchouameni have both been left out of the squad to rest, with young midfielder Sergio Martinez called up instead. Federico Valverde returns to the squad after missing the Racing game with the discomfort he felt in the Clasico, though whether he starts — Mourinho has used him at right-back ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Denzel Dumfries — remains to be seen.
Rodrygo and Raul Asencio remain out, and Ferland Mendy is not in Madrid's Champions League squad. There is also a landmark in reach for Bellingham: one more appearance takes him to 60 in the Champions League, and at 23 years and 128 days he would become the youngest player ever to reach that mark, ahead of Iker Casillas. Mbappe, meanwhile, can score in a sixth straight Champions League outing.
AEK have problems of their own. Marko Nikolic's side sit on three points after beating LASK and then losing to Shakhtar Donetsk and heavily to Manchester City, and they come into tonight off a deflating 2-0 defeat by Panathinaikos in the Athens derby. First-choice goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha is still out with a wrist injury, so Alberto Brignoli starts in goal, while former Madrid striker Luka Jovic is expected to lead the line against his old club alongside the fit-again Barnabas Varga, according to the full preview from 101GreatGoals.
So what does tonight decide?
A fourth straight win would put Madrid firmly on course for a top-eight finish and direct passage to the last 16 — no small thing in a table where, as Luis Enrique pointed out after PSG's record win, early points do not guarantee anything in February and March. History also warns Madrid against complacency in Greece: their last away game against a Greek club, a 4-3 win at Olympiacos last season, was their first win on Greek soil at the eighth attempt, and AEK are unbeaten in their two previous home meetings with Madrid.
For AEK, anything from tonight keeps a play-off place realistic; another heavy defeat, after the 5-1 loss to City, would leave their campaign hanging by a thread with the hardest fixtures still to come.
Beyond the Final Whistle: This is no longer just a group game in Athens — it is an audition. Vinicius returns to a team that has learned to win, and thrill, without him, and Diomande's emergence means the Brazilian must now prove he is still Madrid's first choice on the left rather than simply its most famous one. If he starts and delivers, the debate ends tonight. If he watches Diomande shine again from the bench, Mourinho's "I want him a lot" will start to sound like a warning. Will Vinicius reclaim his place tonight, or has Diomande already taken it? Have your say in the comments.
