Real Madrid vs Atletico: Why only Vinicius may start from Brazilian quarte

Real Madrid have four Brazilian internationals in their first-team squad, but Vinicius Junior is likely to be the only one to start Sunday's derby against Atletico Madrid as Jose Mourinho deals with four very different situations involving his South American contingent.

Madrid approach the Riyadh Air Metropolitano having won five of their opening six La Liga matches and also beaten Inter Milan in the Champions League.

The results have been strong, but the performances have not always been as convincing.

That contrast is reflected particularly clearly among Madrid's Brazilian players.

Vinicius remains an established starter despite an inconsistent opening to the campaign, Endrick is still trying to rebuild his place after injury, while Rodrygo and Eder Militao remain unavailable.

For a group expected to occupy significant roles in Mourinho's squad, the first major derby of the season therefore arrives with only one of the four likely to appear in the starting XI.

Vinicius is not suffering from a lack of faith from his manager.

Mourinho has repeatedly backed the 26-year-old and continued to give him significant minutes despite a modest return compared with some of Madrid's other attacking stars.

The Brazilian has one goal and three assists from seven appearances in all competitions this season.

Kylian Mbappe, by comparison, has already scored seven times in six La Liga matches, while Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler have also made efficient contributions in fewer minutes.

Vinicius' underlying threat remains obvious.

His pace continues to force opponents backwards and he regularly reaches dangerous attacking positions, but the final action has not matched the frequency with which he gets there.

Vinicius attempted five shots and created a major chance but failed to score before being substituted in the 68th minute, when sections of the crowd made their frustration clear.

The forward subsequently acknowledged that his finishing needed to improve and expressed hope that the derby could provide the stage for him to rediscover his scoring touch.

For now, though, there is little indication that Mourinho is preparing to remove him from the side.

The question is instead whether Vinicius can turn his continued trust into greater end product in one of Madrid's biggest matches of the early season.

Endrick's situation is completely different.

Mourinho played an important role in keeping the striker at Madrid during the summer after his productive loan spell at Lyon, but wanting to work with him has not automatically translated into minutes.

A muscular problem disrupted his pre-season and left him behind his teammates physically.

By the time Endrick returned, another forward had already taken advantage.

Carlos Espi has scored twice in only a handful of substitute appearances, giving Mourinho a more traditional physical number nine to use behind Mbappe.

That does not necessarily mean Espi has permanently moved ahead of Endrick in the hierarchy.

The Brazilian is only just returning to full fitness, but his lack of minutes has already created uncertainty over his medium-term role.

Madrid are reportedly prepared to reassess his situation before January if regular opportunities remain difficult to find.

Rodrygo and Militao face a more straightforward problem: neither is currently available.

Rodrygo is continuing his recovery from the serious knee injury suffered earlier this year and is not expected to return until 2027.

Militao's long-running fitness problems have also prevented him from becoming a reliable part of Mourinho's defensive plans.

The centre-back has endured two anterior cruciate ligament injuries and several muscular setbacks in recent seasons, limiting his availability over an extended period.

That leaves an unusual Brazilian picture ahead of the derby.

Madrid possess four players with significant international pedigree, but one is recovering from injury, another is still finding his way back into the rotation and another remains unavailable after repeated physical problems.

Vinicius therefore carries almost all of the Brazilian presence in Mourinho's probable starting XI.

Sunday's derby will not define the season of any of the four.

However, it does highlight how quickly Madrid's Brazilian core has shifted from a potential strength across several positions to a group in which only one member currently looks certain to play a major role.

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