Thibaut Courtois is back. The Real Madrid goalkeeper missed last Sunday’s Clásico with the flu, but he trained with the team this week and is expected to start against Racing Santander on Sunday.
Courtois feeling better
Courtois spoke on Spanish television on Wednesday and sounded positive. “I’m feeling much better now, thank God,” he said. “I’m training little by little to recover. There’s still time ahead of Sunday.”
By Friday he was training with the rest of the squad, and reports in Madrid say he should be back in goal at El Sardinero.
His absence did not cost Madrid last weekend. Andriy Lunin came in for the Clásico, kept his nerve in a big game, and Madrid won 2-1 at Barcelona.
Vinícius still banned
Madrid will be without Vinícius Júnior again. The Brazilian is serving a four-match domestic ban after his red card in the 1-0 win over Villarreal earlier this month. The last game of the ban is away at Valencia on 7 November, just before the international break.
Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo are also still out with long-term injuries, so José Mourinho has to manage without several first-team players.
A trip to Santander
Racing Santander are back in La Liga this season after promotion, and the visit of Real Madrid to El Sardinero is one of the biggest days of their season. The game is on Sunday 1 November.
After Racing, Mourinho’s team have a Champions League game in midweek and then the trip to Valencia.
Our take
Lunin deserves credit for what he did in the Clásico, and it is good for Madrid to know they have a second goalkeeper they can trust. But Courtois is still one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and Mourinho will want him back for a run of big games.
The bigger test for Madrid is in attack. Without Vinícius, they have to find goals from other places, and trips to newly promoted sides are rarely easy. A tired team after the Clásico could make Sunday tricky.
Should Courtois go straight back into the team, or does Lunin deserve another game? Tell us in the comments.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Thibaut Courtois by Bryan Berlin (CC BY-SA 4.0), Vinícius Júnior by Bryan Berlin (CC BY-SA 4.0), Campos de Sport de El Sardinero by Emilio Gómez Fernández (CC BY-SA 4.0).
