“He won’t play,” Carlo Ancelotti draws a line under a key player after the break

For the matches against Leganés in La Liga this Saturday and Real Sociedad in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, Carlo Ancelotti will have to do without a key player who just can’t shake off his physical issues.

After around ten days without competitive action, Real Madrid are back in business this weekend. In the final stretch of the title race this season, Carlo Ancelotti and his team can no longer afford any slip-ups. This Saturday, they must secure all three points in the 29th round of La Liga at the Santiago Bernabéu against Leganés to avoid seeing FC Barcelona pull further ahead at the top of the table, following their victory over Osasuna on Thursday in a rescheduled match from matchday 27. For this clash, the coaching staff will have to do without Thibaut Courtois.

Persistent injury troubles for the Belgian keeper

Called up by the Belgian national team during the first international break of the year, Thibaut Courtois only played one match. Due to muscle problems, the 32-year-old goalkeeper missed the return match against Ukraine in the Nations League. Back in Madrid, Real Madrid’s first-choice keeper is still not fully recovered. In fact, despite resuming training sessions with the squad, the former Atlético Madrid player missed Friday’s session.

And as usual, his absence means he will miss the 29th round of La Liga against Leganés. “Courtois, it’s just a minor issue; he could recover in a few days. We are expecting Mendy and Ceballos to be available for the Champions League first leg against Arsenal,” Carlo Ancelotti confirmed to the press on Friday.

For Lunin, who played with his national team last week, this is an opportunity to start two consecutive matches for Los Blancos. In addition to Saturday’s game, Andriy Lunin, the Copa del Rey’s first-choice goalkeeper, will also play in the second leg of the semi-final against Real Sociedad next Tuesday. Already crucial in the first leg, which Madrid won 1-0, the young Ukrainian shot-stopper will have the heavy responsibility of making up for Courtois’ absence in key matches, particularly in this crucial encounter against Sociedad.

Concern over Courtois?

For the past few weeks, Real Madrid’s No.1 goalkeeper has been struggling with fitness issues. Even though he doesn’t play every match, Thibaut Courtois continues to suffer from recurring muscle problems. With every game becoming increasingly important as the season nears its climax, his situation will need close monitoring. While Lunin is a solid goalkeeper who has stepped up on multiple occasions, Courtois’ presence in goal is simply invaluable.

Although he will miss Real Madrid’s next two matches, the Belgian is expected to return between the sticks for the 30th round of La Liga against Valencia at the Santiago Bernabéu, before travelling to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Regarding this prestigious competition, all eyes are now on UEFA, as the governing body is set to decide on possible sanctions against Vinicius, Rüdiger, Bellingham, and Ceballos, who are currently under investigation following the Champions League round of 16 tie against Atlético Madrid.