How Real Madrid Can Respond to Surprise Illness Uncertainty Hours Before El Clasico
Real Madrid announced on the morning of Sunday’s Clásico against Barcelona that the club’s first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was a “last-minute withdrawal” from the roster after a bout of flu. Yet that was swiftly followed by multiple reports claiming that the Belgian had not yet given up hope of featuring.
Amid the constant flux of chaos which swirls around the Spanish capital, Courtois has been one point of reliable consistency. The towering Belgian routinely bails out the porous defense sat in front of him, making the spectacular appear serene after meeting those standards so often. In a position where mistakes are punished unlike any other, Courtois hasn’t made a single error leading to a La Liga goal in any of the past three seasons.
It’s no understatement to say that Courtois’s unexpected absence for Sunday’s trip to Camp Nou would serve as an almighty blow for José Mourinho’s side. If Vinícius Júnior’s suspension can be overcome by turning to the club’s record signing, Yan Diomande, the club’s goalkeeper reserves aren’t nearly as deep.
Madrid announced that the teenage Illia Voloshyn has been called into the squad to replace Courtois, but it will be the youngster’s Ukrainian compatriot who fills those large gloves.
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Will Thibaut Courtois Play for Real Madrid vs. Barcelona?
Real Madrid’s official statement appeared definitive, ruling Courtois out while announcing that the teenage Ukrainian Illia Voloshyn had been called up instead. However, multiple reports surfaced in the hours following claiming that nothing had yet been decided.
Courtois is thought to have been suffering from a virus which left him “completely wiped out,” according to MARCA. The same Madrid-based outlet would later report that the 34-year-old’s health would continue to be monitored on Sunday and, should he experience an improvement, he would fly to Barcelona.
It won’t be until a couple of hours before Sunday’s kickoff (4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT) that Mourinho’s starting XI is unveiled. Yet, The Athletic go so far as to say that Courtois is “hopeful” of playing a role in El Clásico.
Even if his No. 1 doesn’t make a miraculous recovery, Mourinho doesn’t have the worst understudy to turn to.
Who Is Andriy Lunin, Real Madrid’s Unsmiling Thibaut Courtois Understudy
Unless Mourinho stuns everyone by handing Sergio Mestre his senior debut for the club in El Clásico, the biggest fixture of the year, the experienced figure of Andriy Lunin will get another run out.
The dutifully downcast Ukraine international has served as Courtois’s understudy for the last six years. In that time, thanks largely to his teammate’s various ailments and absences, Lunin has racked up a respectable 74 appearances for Real Madrid while winning a pair of Champions League and La Liga titles.
Lunin’s most prolific spell came during the 2023–24 campaign when Courtois tore his cruciate ligament on the eve of the season. Madrid initially drafted in Kepa Arrizabalaga as an emergency loanee from Chelsea but Lunin would soon win the trust of Carlo Ancelotti, eventually relegating the most expensive goalkeeper of all time to the bench.
The 6'3" custodian is not a showy shot-stopper or one of those modern keepers who thrives with the ball at their feet. Much like his perennially emotionless outward image, Lunin focuses on the basics and dispenses with flourishes. Even when he delivered two penalty saves in a shootout victory over Manchester City in the 2024 Champions League quarterfinals, the unlikely hero scarcely cracked a smile when he was mobbed by his teammates.
Sunday’s Clásico will be Lunin’s first appearance of the season but he amassed a dozen outings last term—mustering just one clean sheet in the process. The 27-year-old didn’t get on the pitch when Madrid clashed with Barcelona last October yet he still conspired to earn himself a red card after leaving the bench and approaching Barça’s substitutes “in an aggressive manner.”
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