Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois could be out against Manchester City
Real Madrid superstar goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has elevated the team in 2020, but Los Blancos could be without the all-important player against Manchester City.
It seems like an eternity ago when Real Madrid fans were criticizing Thibaut Courtois incessantly for subpar displays in goal.
One of the best goalkeepers in the world at Chelsea, Courtois had a rough start to his career at the Santiago Bernabeu, but after an incident in October against Club Brugge that led to unfair speculation, Courtois has re-established himself as the world’s best keeper.
Courtois came out of El Clasico leading the league in clean sheets, save percentage, and goals against per 90 minutes.
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While Real Madrid lost on Matchday 27 to Real Betis, Courtois was not at fault for either goal, which resulted from errors by teammates.
And Courtois was the reason the game was close in the first place having made one of the saves of the week against Nabil Fekir.
Unfortunately, Courtois’ performance came at a price, as he suffered a left leg injury in the 2-1 loss, per a report from AS.
This injury puts Courtois in doubt for the Mar. 17 fixture against Manchester City.
More testing will need to be done on Courtois’ leg to determine the extent of the injury. MARCA’s Jose Felix Diaz reports it is an adductor injury.
Real Madrid lost the first leg against City 2-1 despite Courtois’ heroics in goal, as defensive errors in a late-game collapse ruined the day for Los Blancos.
The second leg on Mar. 17 will be played at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, so Real will have an uphill battle to winning this difficult Round of 16 matchup.
Without the reliable and world-class Thibaut Courtois making big saves in between the posts, Real’s task will get that much harder. But on the bright side, PSG loanee Alphonse Areola has put together a few quality performances this season and is one of the best backups around. There is a notable drop-off between Courtois and Areola in terms of consistency, but Areola is a talented and confident keeper.
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The real question marks will surround the defense against City, as captain Sergio Ramos will also be out due to a suspension. If Eder Militao and Raphael Varane can play as well together as they have earlier in 2020 in La Liga matchups, then Real Madrid shouldn’t miss a beat, even without Courtois in goal.