Vinicius Jr.: Barcelona Has Messi, but Real Madrid 'Aren't Scared of Anybody'

Vinicius Junior has said Real Madrid "aren't scared of anybody" and are ready to take on Lionel Messi's Barcelona when the teams meet for two Clasico clashes in the space of four days. 

Los Blancos are at home to Barca in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday before hosting their rivals again in La Liga on Saturday.

Vinicius acknowledged the threat of five-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi but told reporters he was confident in Real's ability: "Messi is always there. He's an incredible player but we aren't scared of anybody. We're ready and have the best players in the world."

The 18-year-old made his Clasico bow when the rivals drew 1-1 at the Camp Nou in their semi-final first leg earlier in February.

Vinicius added: "We're ready for El Clasico. There's two in one week, and we know all football fans look forward to them. I can't wait to play in it. It's a very important match. Every player would love to be involved in a Clasico!"

Santiago Solari's side just edged a 2-1 win at Levante on Sunday thanks to a controversial penalty decision by the video assistant referee. Vinicius failed to contribute in front of goal but looked typically busy down the left flank in what was his seventh start in Real's last eight league matches, via Premier Sports:

It may be wise for Vinicius to be wary, if not fearful of Messi. The Argentinian has scored 33 goals in 32 appearances across all competitions this season (25 in La Liga) and leads Paris Saint-Germain ace Kylian Mbappe in the race for the 2018-19 European Golden Shoe, per Transfermarkt.

The Spanish Football Podcast highlighted the changes Solari has made since Julen Lopetegui was sacked in October: 

Real went through a poor run of form prior to Lopetegui's dismissal. Solari is helping his side recover from that slump, and his promotion of Vinicius as part of the first team since then has played a role in their revival.

The Madrid giants have suffered losses to Leganes, Girona, Eibar and Real Sociedad since November, but Vinicius defended the team.

Karim Benzema in particular has elevated his form since Cristiano Ronaldo vacated his role in attack and joined Juventus last summer, with the Frenchman scoring his 20th goal of the campaign against Levante.

The 31-year-old recently said he has noticed the benefits of stepping out from Ronaldo's shadow, per France Football (h/t sportswriter Simon Harrison):

Real will be pleased to enter Wednesday's cup fixture on level terms, but Los Blancos haven't beaten Barca in their last four meetings, losing 3-0 in the only match among those to be held at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Vinicius showed the kind of promise we've come to expect from him during the first leg, but a more accurate end product will be required this week if Real are to get the better of Barca in their Clasico double-header.