Vinicius Jr has labelled Reece James as one of the most difficult opponents he has faced. The pair went head-to-head last season in the Champions League quarter final.
The Brazilian superstar has taken his game to another level in the past 12-months after a £40million move from Flamengo aged 18. He is now one of the most feared wingers in the world and racked up 30 league goal contributions - 17 goals and 13 assists.
The 22-year-old didn't score against Chelsea during the two-legged tie earlier this year but did get an assist in both ties, running down the left wing against James.
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Chelsea's star player is currently out injured and is in a race against time to be fit for the World Cup, where he could come up against Vinicius Jr in the semi-finals if both sides progress that far.
Graham Potter is also having to work without James currently but is nine matches unbeaten at the start of his Chelsea tenure. The Cobham graduate was forced off against AC Milan with injury two weeks ago at San Siro and will be out until the start of December, nearly a fortnight after England's World Cup started.
James has left an impact on the attacker as well. Speaking to SPORTbible, Vinicius Jr said: "I've played against a lot of them and the most difficult opponents were Chelsea's [Reece] James and [Kyle] Walker, of Manchester City."
During the first leg James was directly against Vinicius at wingback, but in the second leg he was moved to centre-back in order to combat his speed in the channel. James has become one of the best defenders of his age-group and in the world with stellar showings over the past 12-months.
With Gareth Southgate stocked up for fullbacks, though Walker is also fighting against an injury, Trent Alexander-Arnold also played against Real Madrid in the final of the competition. He was caught out though as Vinicius scored the only goal of the game after taking advantage of the Liverpool defender sleeping at the back post.
Walker also lost out to Vinicius in the semi-finals of the competition.
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