Real Madrid are headed to London to take on Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, but question marks surround Thibaut Courtois's status ahead of the all-important fixture.
Courtois made his long-awaited return to Belgium's national team during the March international break, but he only played one match before sustaining a muscular injury. Although the injury was not deemed serious, the 32-year-old spent the rest of March and the first week of April in the infirmary.
Andriy Lunin took over between the posts for Real Madrid, but the backup then suffered a leg injury against Leganés and joined Courtois on the sidelines. Carlo Ancelotti was forced to start 19-year-old Fran González in Real Madrid's 1–2 defeat to Valencia and now is facing a major crisis with the Champions League quarterfinals swiftly approaching.
With how poor Los Blancos' defense has been since the international break, the defending European and Spanish champions need their best option in goal to secure a positive result against the Gunners.
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Will Thibaut Courtois Play for Real Madrid vs. Arsenal?
All signs point to Courtois being available and ready to play when Real Madrid take on Arsenal at the Emirates. The Belgian was included in Ancelotti's squad ahead of the game, made the trip to London and will likely start between the posts.
The goalkeeper still might not be at full match fitness, though, given that he only just returned to team training on Sunday, Apr. 6. Had Lunin remained healthy, the Ukrainian could have given Courtois an extra week to recover, but now all the pressure is on Courtois to return to the pitch.
Even if he is not at 100%, Courtois will need to put together a vintage performance to help out Real Madrid's makeshift backline. Ancelotti's men have conceded eight goals in their last three matches, and Arsenal will be eager to exploit a defense without Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão and Ferland Mendy.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Will Thibaut Courtois Play for Real Madrid vs. Arsenal?.
