Thibaut Courtois is back in the Real Madrid squad this season. It was already known that he would be in Munich because he was part of Carlo Ancelotti's expedition and, with the confirmation of the starting line-up, his name reappeared in the squad for the first time in 271 days. For obvious reasons, the man chosen to start was his counterpart Andriy Lunin, who has his back after beating Kepa Arrizabalaga in the battle for the place he left vacant due to injury.

The Belgian first suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee before the official campaign had even started. When he was heading towards the final stretch of his recovery, he suffered exactly the same problem, but in the internal meniscus of the other leg. The 'Merengue' club announced this setback on 19 March, so a month and a half has passed since then.

To see Carlo Ancelotti's first-choice goalkeeper on his starting line-up, you have to go back to the friendly against Juventus in August last year, when he was part of a disappointing 3-1 defeat. Just a few days earlier, he had also appeared in a 3-0 defeat to Barcelona. With Manchester United and Milan as opponents, though, he was rested, so this is the first time he has sat on the sidelines since the Red Devils game.

Courtois has always been Real Madrid's main asset in goal but, for the short remainder of the season, Andriy Lunin will likely remain in his place and competition for the more important role will restart in the summer. In the meantime, Kepa Arrizabalaga will return to Chelsea, from where he left on loan and where he may struggle to find a comfortable spot again where Robert Sanchez and Dorde Petrovic have been sharing the limelight.

 

April 30, 2024