Carlo Ancelotti confident Thibaut Courtois will be fit for Real Madrid's trip to Arsenal next week
Courtois, 32, has missed three of Madrid's last five matches in all competitions through injury, including both games since the international break.
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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.
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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.'
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