Real Madrid certainly aren’t shy of superstars. Yet if you asked Barcelona supporters who they’d most like their arch-rivals to be without for Sunday’s Clásico, they probably wouldn’t utter Kylian Mbappé or Jude Bellingham in response.
Vinícius Júnior is already ruled out through suspension, and there was drama surrounding Thibaut Courtois on the day of the big La Liga encounter. It’s the Belgian who Barcelona would have loved to sit out El Clásico, given his status as one of the world’s best goalkeepers and his knack for showing up for the big occasion.
Courtois had played every minute of Madrid’s campaign until Sunday, but his streak in the team has come to an end.
Thibaut Courtois’s Confusing Status for El Clásico
It initially appeared as if Real Madrid had suffered a devastating blow on the morning of the Clásico, as they released a statement confirming that Courtois would miss the match.
“Courtois is a late withdrawal from tonight’s La Liga match between Real Madrid and Barcelona due to the flu,” the club wrote. “Illia Voloshyn has been called up to the squad in his place.”
Barcelona supporters rejoiced, while those desperate for a La Liga title race squirmed. Courtois’s absence would render Madrid’s already tough task that little bit harder, and this is a Clásico the visitors can ill afford to lose.
The back-to-back champions are already six points clear of Los Blancos, who sit behind Atlético Madrid in third. Atléti extended their domestic winning streak to six games on Saturday and are now just two points adrift of Barça at the summit. Still, the majority would suggest that José Mourinho’s side are the most likely challengers to Barça’s throne, yet a nine-point deficit, even at this early juncture, would feel insurmountable.
They need Courtois, and the Belgian knows it. Despite his illness, Madrid‘s No. 1 was desperate to play, with reports initially claiming that Courtois was pushing to travel to Catalonia and start between the posts. In the end, the 34-year-old couldn’t muster a miraculous recovery and had to watch from afar.
Andriy Lunin was called in as the club’s reserve. The Ukrainian shot-stopper has proven himself serviceable over the years but asking him to step up and play for the first time this season in the Clásico—against this Barcelona offense—is a huge ask.
Real Madrid Confirmed Starting XI vs. Barcelona
4-2-3-1: Andriy Lunin; Federico Valverde, Ibrahima Konaté, Dean Huijsen, Marc Cucurella; Aurélien Tchouaméni, Bernardo Silva; Arda Güler, Jude Bellingham, Yan Diomade; Kylian Mbappé.
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