Why Is Thibaut Courtois Missing El Clásico Between Barcelona and Real Madrid?
Real Madrid have suffered a major setback just hours before El Clásico. Thibaut Courtois has been ruled out with flu-like symptoms, forcing José Mourinho to rethink his plans ahead of a crucial LaLiga showdown.
Real Madrid confirmed on Sunday that Thibaut Courtois will miss El Clásico against Barcelona due to a bout of flu.
The Belgian goalkeeper will not travel with the squad to Spotify Camp Nou, leaving José Mourinho without his first-choice goalkeeper for one of the biggest matches of the season.
The news came just hours before kickoff, scheduled for Sunday, October 25, at 4:00 PM ET, Eastern Time in the United States.
Who will replace Courtois against Barcelona?
Andriy Lunin is expected to start in goal for Real Madrid against Barcelona.
The Ukrainian goalkeeper is Mourinho's likely choice following Courtois' late withdrawal.
Meanwhile, the club has called up Illia Voloshyn to take the Belgian international's place in the squad.
Real Madrid face El Clásico with five key absences
Courtois joins an already significant list of unavailable players for Mourinho.
Raúl Asencio, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo will also miss the match, while Vinícius Júnior serves the second game of his four-match LaLiga suspension.
The Brazilian was suspended following his dismissal against Villarreal for pulling Nathan Saliba's hair.
As a result, Real Madrid head into El Clásico without several regular first-team players.
El Clásico could shape the LaLiga title race
The showdown comes at an important stage of the Spanish league campaign.
Barcelona lead LaLiga with 27 points, six ahead of third-placed Real Madrid.
Atlético de Madrid, meanwhile, moved to within two points of the leaders after defeating Deportivo 1-0 on Saturday.
Courtois' absence therefore adds another challenge for Mourinho's side as they attempt to close the gap at the top of the standings.
Three key things to know about Courtois' absence
- Why is Courtois unavailable? The Belgian goalkeeper has been ruled out with flu-like symptoms.
- Who could start in goal? Andriy Lunin is expected to replace him, with Illia Voloshyn added to the squad.
- When is El Clásico? Barcelona host Real Madrid on Sunday, October 25, at 4:00 PM ET at Spotify Camp Nou.
