Thibaut Courtois Ruled Out of El Clásico as Real Madrid Face Barcelona

Real Madrid have suffered a major setback ahead of their El Clásico clash against Barcelona after goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was initially ruled out of the encounter due to a flu-like illness.

The Belgian goalkeeper was withdrawn from the squad at short notice on Sunday, October 25, ahead of the La Liga Matchday 10 fixture at Barcelona’s home ground. Real Madrid confirmed his absence in an official statement and called up young goalkeeper Illia Voloshyn to replace him in the squad.

Courtois’ potential absence is a significant concern for Real Madrid, given his importance to the team. The experienced shot-stopper has been a key figure between the posts, providing crucial saves and reliability in high-pressure matches.

Andriy Lunin is expected to take responsibility in goal if Courtois is unable to recover in time. The Ukrainian goalkeeper has served as his deputy in recent seasons and could be handed an important opportunity against one of Madrid’s biggest rivals.

However, reports later indicated that Courtois’ condition had improved, leaving some uncertainty over his availability. His final status should therefore be checked against the latest team news before kick-off.

Real Madrid will hope to have their first-choice goalkeeper available for such a crucial fixture, while Barcelona will look to take advantage of any weakness in their opponents’ defensive setup.