Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois looks like he will miss a third consecutive game due to injury, after his return of international duty with Belgium with a muscle problem. Courtois returned for the first time in two years against Ukraine in Murcia in action for Belgium, but after he had missed the second game due to a muscle problem in the warm-up, he still has to return to the training.
Initially it was reported as a precautionary absence, with Courtois tipped to be back in action against Leganes on Saturday evening. But after he had not succeeded in coming back in time, Courtois remained in the gym on Monday, as reported by Marca. He is now ready to miss their Copa del Rey Semi-final second stage with Real Sociedad, which they lead 1-0.
Andriy Lunin, who against Leganes Deputte, has played all the way through the Copa so far and would probably do this again. When asked whether Lunin would play a hypothetical final against Atletico Madrid or Barcelona, Ancelotti was less certain.
“Yes … we'll have to see it. Lunin and Courtois could play, and if they were injured, Fran Gonzalez could play. And if we didn't reach the final, none of the three would play,” he explained to the media.
Ancelotti again confirmed that Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos wanted to be back for their journey to London to be against Arsenal next week.
“Fran Garcia contributes a lot. Mendy and Ceballos try to reach the match against Arsenal.”
In the meantime, David Alaba, to the surprise of some in the Spanish capital, played the full 90 minutes in both Nations League collisions against Serbia. The Italian manager confirmed that he was contrary to Real Sociedad after missing their match against Leganes.
“Alaba is doing very well. He played two games for Austria. Placing him every three days in two games can be a risk. He has the chance to play tomorrow. Those who did not start against Leganes have more options for starting tomorrow.”
Based on that logic, it would be no surprise to see that Rodrygo Goes Goes, Vinicius Junior and Fede Valverde are returning to the line-up. Aurelien Tchouameni also started on the couch and was able to return to midfield, next to one of Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga or Luka Modric. In recent major competitions, Valverde has also replaced Lucas Vazquez, while Raul Asencio Right back started in the first stage.
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