Lunin’s Barcelona record comes into focus after Courtois misses El Clasico

Andriy Lunin has a fresh opportunity to prove himself in one of football’s biggest fixtures after Real Madrid confirmed that Thibaut Courtois will miss Sunday’s El Clasico against Barcelona.

Courtois is unavailable because of flu symptoms, with Ilya Voloshin added to the Real Madrid squad in his place. The change is expected to leave Ukraine international Lunin in line to start in goal at Camp Nou.

The match is being played in the 10th round of La Liga and represents a significant test for Lunin, although his previous results against Real Madrid’s traditional rivals provide an encouraging backdrop.

According to data from Transfermarkt, Lunin has played four times against Barcelona for Real Madrid. Three of those appearances came in La Liga, while the other was in the Spanish Super Cup.

Real Madrid have won three of those matches and lost one, with Lunin conceding eight goals across the four games. His results therefore give him a positive record against Barcelona ahead of the latest meeting.

Three wins in four meetings

Lunin’s first appearance against Barcelona came on 16 October 2022, when Real Madrid recorded a 3-1 victory in La Liga.

He featured again in the league meeting on 21 April 2024, as Real Madrid secured a 3-2 win. His third victory came in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia on 14 January 2024, when Real Madrid beat Barcelona 4-1.

The only defeat in Lunin’s record came on 26 October 2024. On that occasion, Real Madrid were beaten 4-0 by Barcelona at home.

Sunday’s match will present a different challenge because each of Lunin’s four previous appearances against Barcelona took place away from Camp Nou. Three were played at Santiago Bernabeu, while the Spanish Super Cup final was held in Saudi Arabia.

That means Lunin will be facing Barcelona in its stadium for the first time in this fixture, as he attempts to maintain Real Madrid’s strong results in the matches in which he has played against the Catalan club.

The importance of the game is heightened by the league table. Barcelona begin the match at the top with 27 points, while Real Madrid are third on 21 points.

The standings add further significance to the Clasico in the battle for first place, with Real Madrid having to cope with the absence of Courtois and potentially relying on Lunin for the latest chapter of his record against Barcelona.