According to reports, this Sunday, Vinicius, despite not having a standout season, remains one of Real Madrid’s most dangerous players at the Montjuic Stadium. The Brazilian winger, known for his speed and dribbling ability, is a key weapon for Carlo Ancelotti’s team, just as he has been since joining the club.

With Jules Kounde, Barcelona’s primary right-back who successfully contained Vinicius in three matches this season, absent, it seems Eric Garcia will be tasked with marking Vinicius, as Hansi Flick fully trusts this defender.

However, the German coach should know he has another option in Ronald Araujo—a defender Xavi Hernandez deployed seven times as a right-back solely to neutralize Vinicius.

The first instance was in the 2021-22 La Liga season when Barcelona won 4-0 at the Bernabeu. Araujo delivered a stellar performance, shutting down Vinicius and even scoring a goal. Xavi repeated this tactic in the 2023 Super Cup, where Barcelona won 3-1 in Saudi Arabia.

That season saw multiple clashes between the two teams, including the Copa del Rey semifinals. The first leg at the Bernabeu ended in a 1-0 victory for Barcelona, thanks to an outstanding team defensive effort.

Before the second leg, the two teams met in La Liga, with Barcelona winning 2-1. Franck Kessie’s late goal effectively sealed the title for Barca. Araujo performed well in marking Vinicius, though he did score an own goal.

However, in the Copa del Rey second leg, the tables turned. Real Madrid won 4-0 at Camp Nou, with Vinicius scoring the opening goal in a counterattack.

This match was a turning point in the Araujo-Vinicius duel. Last season, Xavi used Araujo as a right-back twice more to contain Vinicius, but it didn’t work. In both games, Ancelotti adjusted his tactics, moving Vinicius more centrally.

The result? Two defeats for Barcelona: one in La Liga (2-1) at Montjuic and another in the Super Cup (4-1), where Vinicius scored a hat-trick and Araujo was sent off after receiving two yellow cards. Since then, the experiment of using Araujo against Vinicius seems to have ended, but if Vinicius leans toward the right flank tomorrow, Araujo could still be the best option to contain him.