‘At Least’—Real Madrid Reeling As Star Player Ruled Out of Bayern Munich Quarterfinal

Los Blancos are chasing a record-extending 16th European title.

Álvaro Arbeloa has a real selection headache on his hands. | Alex Livesey/Anadolu/George Wood-UEFA/UEFA/Getty Images

Real Madrid could reportedly be forced to play the next seven or eight matches without goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who has been diagnosed with a quad injury following tests.

Courtois was replaced at halftime of Tuesday’s Champions League win against Manchester City, with Andriy Lunin completing the second-leg match and making three saves.

The Ukraine international is now set to deputize between the posts until May.

Thibaut Courtois will not face Bayern Munich. | MB Media/Getty Images

On Thursday, Real Madrid confirmed the injury diagnosis for Courtois: “Following tests carried out today on our player Thibaut Courtois by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a muscle injury in the rectus femoris of his right quadriceps. His recovery will be monitored.”

No timeframe was offered by the club, but a report from MARCA soon followed that stated around six weeks is expected to be the recovery time. The Athletic warned that it would be “at least” six weeks, with the prospect of two full months feared by some at the club.

That rules Courtois out of the rest of March and the entirety of April, during which time Los Blancos play up to eight matches in two competitions.

Notwithstanding the importance of winning every match in La Liga after losing ground to Barcelona in the title race and now trailing the defending champions by four points with 10 rounds to go, Real Madrid are also to face Bayern Munich over two legs in the Champions League quarterfinals.

If Madrid get there, the first leg of a potential semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain or Liverpool also falls in the window Courtois is set to be out for.

The Belgian might not be available until Álvaro Arbeloa’s team faces Espanyol on May 2. The second league Clásico of the season against Barcelona at Camp Nou follows a few days later. So close to the end of the campaign, that match could decide which club is crowned Spanish champions.

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Which Real Madrid Matches Will Thibaut Courtois Miss?

Date	Fixture	Competition
March 22, 2026	Atlético Madrid (H)	La Liga
April 4, 2026	Mallorca (A)	La Liga
April 7, 2026	Bayern Munich (H)	Champions League
April 11, 2026	Girona (H)	La Liga
April 15, 2026	Bayern Munich (A)	Champions League
April 18, 2026	Real Betis (A)	La Liga
April 21, 2026	Alavés (H)	La Liga
April 28/29, 2026	TBD if Real Madrid progress	Champions League

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Andriy Lunin Hoping to Channel 2024 Form

Andriy Lunin was the hero in the quarterfinals two years ago. | Jan Kruger/UEFA/Getty Images

Since returning from a string of loans, Lunin has been the go-to choice for Real Madrid whenever Courtois has been unavailable since 2021.

He faced competition from loan signing Kepa Arrizabalaga for that role in the early stages of 2023–24 after Courtois suffered a torn ACL, but eventually established himself as the temporary No. 1. Lunin went on to play 31 times that season, putting in notable performances against RB Leipzig and Manchester City en-route to Champions League glory.

Lunin lost his place to Courtois as soon as the established No. 1 was healthy, although he still started home and away in the Champions League semifinals against Bayern Munich as a reward for his hugely important performance in Manchester in the previous round.

There was considerable debate over who should start the final, although eventually it wasn’t a hard decision because Lunin went down with flu. He still took a place on the bench, but traveled to London separate from the squad to reduce the risk of an outbreak.

At that stage, he was faced with a choice: Stay at Real Madrid in a backup role and only play when Courtois cannot, or pursue a transfer for a starting job elsewhere. Lunin chose the former, soon signing a new six-year contract in the Spanish capital until 2030.

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