Ancelotti hints at a role change for Vinicius to deal with Araujo ahead of Barcelona clash

Barcelona are set to take on Real Madrid tomorrow, in what is being termed as the most important match of the season.

Heading into the game with an astounding nine-point lead at the top of the table, a win for the Blaugrana could help them one step closer to securing the league title.

Real Madrid, though, will not make things any easier for Barcelona and will be seeking retribution after having lost two back-to-back games in a row against their arch-rivals.

Speaking to the press ahead of the game, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti offered his thoughts on one of the most important aspects of this game that may even decide the outcome. That is the duel between Ronald Araujo and Vinicius Junior.

Araujo has indeed gotten the better of Vinicius over the past two matches, containing the Brazilian very effectively on the flanks.

“Vinicius is always Vinicius and his mobility can help in tomorrow’s game. I’m thinking of putting him on the right,” Ancelotti said. “I’m not serious. But mobility is important. He will play on the left, but with more mobility.”

The Real Madrid coach’s comments can be viewed as a swipe at Vinicius, who has not been very popular even within his own camp recently, especially following his complaints and altercations with referees week in and week out.

Nevertheless, Ancelotti went on to suggest that his team has a plan to make life difficult for Araujo, adding, “Tactical solution to upset Araújo? We have the plan. We have made all the evaluations, of course.”

This sets the tone ideally for the Araujo-Vinicius duel that we are going to witness at Camp Nou tomorrow. However, with Karim Benzema also available in the team, the Barcelona backline must approach this game wisely, knowing Vinicius not the only one who can cause trouble.