Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr has been ruled out of the team’s highly anticipated Champions League match against Liverpool on Wednesday. The Brazilian international suffered a hamstring injury in his left leg, specifically to the biceps femoris, during Real Madrid’s 3-0 La Liga win over Leganes on Sunday.,

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Vinicius Jr is expected to be sidelined for approximately three weeks, although Real Madrid has not officially commented on the severity of the injury. The 23-year-old took to X to express his frustration with the timing of the injury.

The news of Vinicius Jr’s absence is the last thing Real Madrid will want to hear, as they are currently 18th in the 36-team Champions League table. Real Madrid has named a 19-man traveling squad for the trip to Merseyside, with Vinicius Jr being the notable omission.

Los Blancos have returned to winning ways in the La Liga with a comfortable victory in a 3-0 win over Leganes at the weekend. They now sit 4 points behind Barcelona with a game in hand, but their Champions League form has been inconsistent.

In other injury news, Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold will now be available for selection in the match against Real Madrid after returning from a hamstring injury sustained before the international break. The England right-back missed Sunday’s 3-2 win over Southampton but has now recovered in time for Wednesday’s game.

The English defender has been linked with a possible move to Real Madrid after the player mentioned several wishes to put on the white jersey of Real Madrid in the nearest future.

Liverpool have also had to deal with Mohammed Salah’s recent outburst about the delayed contract talks with the club, a situation Arne Slot has said will not distract the player in the fixture.

“If you had been at the AXA [training center] today, not one player spoke about it when I was there. Players always focus on the short term, and for us, that’s Real Madrid and Manchester City.” Slot said.