Thibaut Courtois Could Miss Crucial Champions League Games Against Chelsea
The post Thibaut Courtois Could Miss Crucial Champions League Games Against Chelsea appeared first on The12thMan.
The Belgian injured his adductor muscle recently. Courtois got injured during Belguim’s game against Sweden. Although Belgium managed to keep a clean sheet but lost Courtois to injury.
He is expected to be out for 3-4 weeks. The Real Madrid No.1 will go for further tests on Monday. Even after the tests it can be determined to what extent he will be sidelined.
The previous four games between the two clubs have been very entertaining. It can be said that they have almost match each other toe to toe. However, individual performances have made a difference.
Real Madrid were also hoping to count on Thibault Courtois against Chelsea. Real Madrid will first welcome the Blues at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg. The first leg will be at the Santiago Bernabeu on 13th April 2023.
While the second leg will be on 19th April 2023 at Stamford Bridge. With Courtois likely to be out for 3-4 weeks it looks likely that he will miss these two games.
This season the 30-year-old has kept 16 clean sheets in La Liga. At times he has also made difference in games. Not only this Courtois could also miss the Copa Del Rey clash against Barcelona.
Andriy Lunin is likely to replace the injured Belgian. Carlo Ancelotti will be hopeful that the 24 years old is ready in time for the Champions League clash. Lunin is the second-choice keeper at Real Madrid thus he hasn’t played a lot of games this season.
This season he has made 11 appearances in all competitions. He will have games against Real Valladolid, Barcelona, and Villarreal to prepare himself. These three games should be enough to prepare him for the Chelsea clash. However, it is yet to be seen whether he can make a similar impact to the Belgian.
It won’t be an easy task to replace the 30 years old. He has a good understanding and tunning with other Real Madrid defenders. But the Champions League is the only saving grace for the Spanish side this season.
They are 12 points behind Barcelona in La Liga. In the Copa Del Rey, they trail Barcelona by 1-0 as well. In the Champions League, they have done very well. The 6-2 victory on aggregate over Liverpool is a testament to the same.
The post Thibaut Courtois Could Miss Crucial Champions League Games Against Chelsea appeared first on The12thMan.
