Confirmed: Real Madrid suffer major last-minute blow as Thibaut Courtois ruled out of El Clasico

· MadridUniversal

Real Madrid have suffered a major setback just hours before their highly anticipated El Clasico against Barcelona. In an eleventh-hour development, Jose Mourinho will be without first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The Belgium international’s absence comes as a huge blow to Real Madrid’s aspirations of closing the six-point gap to Barcelona. Real Madrid confirm Courtois’ absence […] The post Confirmed: Real Madrid suffer major last-minute blow as Thibaut Courtois ruled out of El Clasico appeared first on Madrid Universal .

Real Madrid have suffered a major setback just hours before their highly anticipated El Clasico against Barcelona.

In an eleventh-hour development, Jose Mourinho will be without first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

The Belgium international’s absence comes as a huge blow to Real Madrid’s aspirations of closing the six-point gap to Barcelona.

Real Madrid confirm Courtois’ absence

In an official statement released on Sunday , Real Madrid confirmed that Courtois will miss the match due to a bout of flu.

The club also announced that young Ukrainian goalkeeper Illia Voloshyn has been called into the squad as his replacement.

This leaves Mourinho without one of his most reliable performers for a fixture that could have a serious effect on the title race.

Courtois’ ability to produce crucial saves in high-pressure matches has been invaluable to Madrid over the years, and he tends to step up in such games .

Now, with the Belgian unavailable, Madrid will have their work cut out to stop the fearsome Barcelona attack from finding the back of the net.

Mourinho faces a difficult goalkeeping decision

With Courtois unavailable, Andriy Lunin is the natural candidate to take his place between the posts.

The Ukraine international has experience stepping into the spotlight for Madrid and could slot comfortably into the XI.

Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Anthony Gordon could look to pepper the goal, and Barça ‘s tendency to press high means Lunin will have to be secure with the ball at his feet.

Courtois’ absence could also affect Madrid’s defensive structure. His commanding presence and shot-stopping ability offer reassurance to the players in front of him.

With Lunin replacing the Belgian, Ibrahima Konate and the other defenders will need to organise the defence better.

Courtois’ absence is undoubtedly a significant blow, but Madrid still have the quality to compete.

While it makes the task at hand much more difficult, it is something Los Blancos should figure out if they aspire to compete for La Liga this season.

Ultimately, much will depend on how Mourinho’s side protect their backup goalkeeper and limit Barcelona’s attacking opportunities, and it remains to be seen how Lunin fares.

Read the original

People in this story

Related