- Thibaut Courtois set to return from long-term injury absence
- Carlo Ancelotti confirms game he expects goalkeeper to play in
- Future of Andriy Lunin uncertain after standing in this season
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois could return to action as soon as next weekend when they host Cadiz in La Liga.
After tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) only two days before the season’s first game against Athletic Club, Courtois has been out for the whole of the current campaign. His initial effort at a return was then delayed by a meniscus tear in his second knee that occurred during a training session a month ago. Due to the severity of the damage, he needed surgery to fix it.
The Belgian, on the other hand, may be able to get a few games under his belt before everything comes to a close, despite the fact that he is at danger of missing the rest of the season due to the surgery that took place in March.
“Let’s see if Thibaut can [play] against Cadiz,” Carlo Ancelotti, the chief executive officer of Madrid, stated after the club’s victory against Real Sociedad by a score of 1-0 on Friday night. The match is set to take place on Saturday, May 4th.
Kepa Arrizabalaga was given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to start during the match against Sociedad. The goalie who was on loan from Chelsea was unsuccessful in his attempt to replace Andriy Lunin as Courtois’ stand-in goalkeeper some months ago. However, Ancelotti made a decision to make as many as nine changes to the lineup that had begun against Barcelona a few days earlier. This decision seems to have been made with the intention of preparing for the match against Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.
In the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, which will take place in Germany, Lunin is expected to make his comeback to the team. On the other hand, Ancelotti will be faced with a dilemma in the event that Courtois is prepared to return a few days later for the visit of Cadiz. Is he going to continue to employ Lunin for the most important games that are yet to come, acknowledging that he has had an outstanding season? Alternately, does he instantly bring back his previous starting player?
While Kepa’s future is crystal apparent—he will go back to his original club—Lunin’s destiny is not quite clear. Due to the fact that the Ukrainian has been an understudy from the year 2020 until Courtois’ injury finally gave him with a chance, he has the potential to become a starter at a respectable level elsewhere, but Madrid is interested in him as a number two.
