Key Real Madrid star will not be risked before El Clasico – report | OneFootball

If one turns the clock back to the final of the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League, they would understand the importance of Thibaut Courtois in this Real Madrid side. Be it the biggest stage or a game against a third-division opponent, the Belgian guarantees a performance any goalkeeper would be proud of.

To say that he is one of the backbones of the team would be an understatement. His absence, needless to say, is a very big blow to Real Madrid’s campaign.

This past weekend, Los Blancos confirmed that the shot-stopper would be sidelined through sciatica. No expected return date was provided because the prognosis of the condition depends entirely on the recovery.

Reliable journalist Mario Cortegana reports that the injury is worse than was initially thought. Commenting on Courtois’s situation, he said:

“With Courtois, we have to be cautious. On Sunday morning it seemed minor. Now the plan is to not let him play until El Clasico. Let’s see how it evolves.”

While Carlo Ancelotti hopes to have the Belgian back in time for the clash against Barcelona, his participation is far from guaranteed. Until his return, Andriy Lunin will start in between the sticks and hope to prove his worth to the manager.

For the first time in the season, Real Madrid dropped points against Osasuna at the weekend. Coincidentally, that was also their first game without Courtois and Ancelotti will hope that the two events are not correlated.

The goalkeeper will be on the sidelines for his team’s two clashes against Shakhtar Donetsk and the La Liga game with Getafe in between. With the Clasico scheduled in less than two weeks, he will have to rush his recovery to make the dream return possible.