Courtois could make late Real Madrid return for Barcelona clash

Thibaut Courtois is hopeful of recovering from flu in time to face Barcelona in Sunday’s El Clasico, despite Real Madrid announcing earlier in the day that the Belgium goalkeeper would miss the match.

Courtois has begun to recover and could yet travel to Barcelona to join the squad and prepare for a possible appearance, according to The Athletic. Real Madrid’s delegation had already arrived in the city on Sunday afternoon without him when the update emerged.

Spanish newspaper AS reported that Courtois’ absence was “no longer 100% certain”, with his status having changed from being ruled out to being considered doubtful.

“Courtois was ruled out at the last minute for the match between Barcelona and Real Madrid because of flu symptoms, but his situation has developed,” AS said. “His health will be assessed over the coming hours. If his condition improves, he will travel to Barcelona to play in the match.”

The 34-year-old has been Real Madrid’s first-choice goalkeeper under manager Jose Mourinho and has played in every match for the club this season. Andriy Lunin is preparing to deputise if Courtois is ultimately unable to take part.

Courtois and Lunin have both been at Real Madrid since 2018. The Ukraine international has made 43 La Liga appearances across the past five seasons whenever Courtois has been unavailable.

Real Madrid are taking a cautious approach to the possibility of Courtois featuring. Ilya Voloshin, the club’s third-choice goalkeeper, travelled with the first-team squad despite having never played a senior club match. Voloshin has represented Ukraine Under-20s.

Sergio Mestre is the other goalkeeper included in Real Madrid’s squad for the game.

Courtois remains a key player for the Spanish club and has produced strong performances this season. He has established himself not only as Real Madrid’s leading goalkeeper but also as one of the best in the world, having kept 98 clean sheets in La Liga.

The match will be played during Courtois’ ninth season with Real Madrid, whom he joined from Chelsea in the summer of 2018. He has won 12 trophies with the club, including three La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies.

His contract in the Spanish capital expires at the end of the current season. However, he is expected to sign a 12-month extension that would keep him at Real Madrid until 2028.

Real Madrid go into Sunday’s fixture six points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona. Their form has improved in recent weeks, with victories over Sevilla and Leipzig.