Courtois Misses El Clasico As Real Madrid Head To Barcelona

Big blow for Real Madrid

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been ruled out of the upcoming match against Barcelona after falling ill with the flu. The club confirmed the news on Sunday ahead of the LaLiga matchday 10 clash at Camp Nou.

Courtois, 34, is a key player for Madrid, but he will not feature in this massive fixture. Real Madrid go into the match trailing league leaders Barcelona by six points in the LaLiga standings.

In an official statement, the club confirmed that Courtois is a last minute withdrawal from the game due to a bout of flu. Illia Voloshyn has been added to the squad in his place.

Lunin steps in between the posts

With Courtois unavailable, 27 year old goalkeeper Andriy Lunin will start between the posts for Real Madrid. Lunin is a familiar face for Madrid fans, having served as a regular deputy for Courtois over recent seasons. He played an important role during Madrid's run to the Champions League final in 2024.

Madrid enter this game under plenty of pressure. They have already suffered two defeats in LaLiga this season, losing on the road against Real Betis and Atletico Madrid. In contrast, Barcelona have been in perfect form in the league, winning all of their matches so far.

Recent form and missing stars

Despite those earlier league stumbles, Madrid had shown signs of improvement since the recent international break. Courtois was central to that form, delivering strong performances including in their 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig in the Champions League during midweek.

The loss of their first choice goalkeeper is not the only selection headache for the visiting side. Madrid will also be without forward Vinicius Junior at Camp Nou. The Brazilian star continues to serve a four game domestic suspension.