Carlo Ancelotti confident Thibaut Courtois will be fit for Real Madrid's trip to Arsenal next week
Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti is confident Thibaut Courtois will be fit to face Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final next Tuesday.
Courtois, 32, has missed three of Madrid's last five matches in all competitions through injury, including both games since the international break.
Advertisement
His deputy, Andriy Lunin, is also struggling with injury and is a doubt for Saturday's La Liga home game against Valencia, having started in Courtois' absence in last weekend's 3-2 league win over Leganes and 4-4 Copa del Rey draw on Tuesday.
If Lunin is unavailable against Valencia, 19-year-old Fran Gonzalez will likely start the match, having acted as Madrid's third-choice goalkeeper this season. Gonzalez has yet to make his senior debut for the club, instead playing as the No 1 for Real Madrid Castilla in the third tier.
⚡️Lunin underwent tests yesterday and has a soleus injury that could keep him out around 4 weeks
He is considering taking injections to face Valencia, with the risk that it could worsen the problem
The idea is to test him in training tomorrow and make a decision @TheAthleticFC
— Mario Cortegana (@MarioCortegana) April 3, 2025
'Courtois is doing better, we think he can make Tuesday,' Ancelotti told a pre-match news conference on Friday. 'We have doubts about Lunin, who will have a test today and who has had a slight discomfort.
'If he's not well, we have total confidence in Fran. The only problem with him is that he's young, but that's happened to everyone. If his time comes tomorrow, we will be very happy for him because we are all convinced that he will be a great goalkeeper.'
Though Courtois is doubt for the Arsenal game, a source close to the Belgian, speaking confidentially to protect relationships, told The Athletic they were confident he would be fit for the trip to London.
There is also a question mark over the availability of Antonio Rudiger after UEFA launched an investigation into him, Kylian Mbappe, Dani Ceballos and Vinicius Junior for alleged indecent conduct during their Champions League last-16 second-leg win over Atletico Madrid last month.
Advertisement
The players are alleged to have made gestures towards Atletico supporters after Madrid's penalty shootout win over their city rivals at the Civitas Metropolitano.
Asked about possible sanctions, Ancelotti said: 'We have to wait, we don't think anything will happen and we think Rudiger will play on Tuesday.'
()
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Wales boss Bellamy has no fear of Belgium after 'best year'
Craig Bellamy has no fear ahead of Wales' World Cup qualifier away to Belgium (VIRGINIE LEFOUR) Craig Bellamy said his first year in charge of Wales has been the best of his life as he puts his undefeated record on the line in Monday's World Cup qualifier against Belgium. The former Liverpool and Manchester City striker has enjoyed a dream start to his first managerial role with five wins and four draws in nine games. Advertisement Avoiding defeat in Brussels would match the Welsh record of 10 games undefeated set under Mark Hughes between 2001 and 2003. But Bellamy has no fear of defeat against a Belgian side ranked eighth in the world. "It's going to happen (losing a game). Do I live in fear of it? Not at all. I don't live that way," said Bellamy at his pre-match press conference. "I've had so many setbacks in my life, it's ok, I'm still here. And I've actually just had the best year of my life. This has been the best. "How did I get that at 45? It's what I've been waiting for but, at the same time, it's like I don't know what's around the corner. Advertisement "But I know what I'm going to do. Enjoy everything. The good, the bad, whatever it is." Group J leaders Wales are six points clear of Belgium after beating Liechtenstein 3-0 on Friday. Bellamy's men have taken seven points from their first three qualifiers, while Belgium began their campaign with a 1-1 draw in North Macedonia on Friday. That six-point gap has put early pressure on Belgium, who have won only one of their last eight games and are under new management in former Napoli and Lyon boss Rudi Garcia. "We've done everything we could. That's the honest truth," added Bellamy. Advertisement "I've just loved every moment because they train, they work, they show up, and to have that is amazing. "I don't to have say, 'that wasn't good enough, no, we need to be sharper'. Never once I had to. So they give you energy." Wales are again without Leeds winger Daniel James, who has failed to recover from illness after missing the Liechtenstein win. Nottingham Forest full-back Neco Williams also misses out after rolling his ankle against Liechtenstein. kca/smg/dmc
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Wales boss Bellamy has no fear of Belgium after 'best year'
Craig Bellamy has no fear ahead of Wales' World Cup qualifier away to Belgium (VIRGINIE LEFOUR) Craig Bellamy said his first year in charge of Wales has been the best of his life as he puts his undefeated record on the line in Monday's World Cup qualifier against Belgium. The former Liverpool and Manchester City striker has enjoyed a dream start to his first managerial role with five wins and four draws in nine games. Advertisement Avoiding defeat in Brussels would match the Welsh record of 10 games undefeated set under Mark Hughes between 2001 and 2003. But Bellamy has no fear of defeat against a Belgian side ranked eighth in the world. "It's going to happen (losing a game). Do I live in fear of it? Not at all. I don't live that way," said Bellamy at his pre-match press conference. "I've had so many setbacks in my life, it's ok, I'm still here. And I've actually just had the best year of my life. This has been the best. "How did I get that at 45? It's what I've been waiting for but, at the same time, it's like I don't know what's around the corner. Advertisement "But I know what I'm going to do. Enjoy everything. The good, the bad, whatever it is." Group J leaders Wales are six points clear of Belgium after beating Liechtenstein 3-0 on Friday. Bellamy's men have taken seven points from their first three qualifiers, while Belgium began their campaign with a 1-1 draw in North Macedonia on Friday. That six-point gap has put early pressure on Belgium, who have won only one of their last eight games and are under new management in former Napoli and Lyon boss Rudi Garcia. "We've done everything we could. That's the honest truth," added Bellamy. Advertisement "I've just loved every moment because they train, they work, they show up, and to have that is amazing. "I don't to have say, 'that wasn't good enough, no, we need to be sharper'. Never once I had to. So they give you energy." Wales are again without Leeds winger Daniel James, who has failed to recover from illness after missing the Liechtenstein win. Nottingham Forest full-back Neco Williams also misses out after rolling his ankle against Liechtenstein. kca/smg/dmc
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
La Liga superstar reluctant to join Arsenal or Chelsea this summer
Arsenal have already all-but completed a deal to sign Martin Zubimendi, but he may not be the only La Liga player to make the move to north London this summer. They also have a strong interest in Nico Williams, but their chances of signing him during the transfer window looks to have reduced. Williams continues to be one of Athletic Club's star players, but because of this, he has attracted significant interest. Barcelona failed to sign him last summer, and 12 months, new names have entered the running – specifically, there has been interest shown from Arsenal, Chelsea and Bayern Munich. Nico Williams wants to stay in La Liga But the chances that any of those teams gets a deal done this summer are looking slim. As per Sport, Williams is reluctant to move outside of Spain, despite the fact that Arsenal and Chelsea would both be willing to activate the release clause in his Athletic contract. Imave via Marca / Ricardo Larreina Despite rejecting Barcelona last summer, Williams has an interest in joining the La Liga champions in 2025. But unfortunately for the Spain international, they are not considering him as an option at this stage, with Luis Diaz and Marcus Rashford being the club's primary left wing targets. Advertisement At this stage, the most likely scenario is that Williams signs a new contract with Athletic. His current deal expires in 2027, so there has been increased jeopardy about his future. But if Barcelona (or Real Madrid) do not come calling, there is a good chance that the 22-year-old extends his stay in Bilbao. Should he do this, Athletic would look to significantly increase the value of his release clause, which currently stands at €60m. If this happens, the chances of a future transfer would decrease by a considerable amount, considering that Los Leones very rarely negotiate the sales of their star players.
