Thibaut Courtois is holding onto hopes of participating against Barcelona in El Clásico, despite Real Madrid officially announcing his absence due to illness, leaving open the possibility of a late shift in the Belgian goalkeeper’s status prior to the match.
According to The Athletic, Courtois is attempting to recover in time to feature in the encounter, though this does not guarantee his participation or imply that a new official decision reversing the club’s statement has been issued.
Real Madrid had announced on Sunday morning: “Courtois is a late withdrawal due to contracting the flu,” and called up young goalkeeper Illya Voloshyn to replace him in the matchday squad for the La Liga tenth-round fixture against Barcelona.
The Belgian did not travel with the team delegation to Barcelona, but reports indicated the possibility of him joining his teammates via a separate flight, should his condition improve sufficiently in the hours leading up to kickoff.
Pending a final resolution on his status, Andriy Lunin remains the primary candidate to start in goal should Courtois remain sidelined. This potential opportunity for the Ukrainian comes after spending the current season without an official appearance, with his last outing for Real Madrid coming against Espanyol last May.
Courtois’s eagerness to make the match underscores his immense importance, having started all 12 of Real Madrid’s fixtures this season—logging a total of 1,080 minutes and keeping two clean sheets—while repeatedly producing crucial saves that have kept the team competitive throughout their matches.
The board’s trust in the 34-year-old shot-stopper is also reflected in his long-term future, as he has reached an agreement—according to Fabrizio Romano—to extend his contract until June 2028 instead of 2027, with final administrative procedures and the official announcement remaining.
