Real Madrid were handed a major problem when it emerged from almost out of the blue that Thibaut Courtois was injured. As a result, Andriy Lunin ended up playing the game vs Osasuna, as Los Blancos’ perfect start to the campaign came to an end, with Karim Benzema missing a late penalty on his return. Luka Modric was missing due to injury as well.
The result means that Barcelona are now top of the La Liga table while Real Madrid are now the ones chasing. The picture has not looked like this in a long time.
The biggest worry for Real Madrid at the moment though will be the injury situation of Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian goalkeeper is one of the most important parts of this team. But at the moment, it is unclear when he will back in action.
On their official website, Real Madrid said regarding Courtois’ injury:
"After the tests carried out on our player Thibaut Courtois by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with left sciatica. Pending evolution."
Real Madrid handed major Courtois injury problem
Thus, it appears that Courtois is suffering with a nerve problem in his lower back, which has prevented him from playing at this point of time.
But when will he be back in action? That much has not been made clear although some cases of sciatica can take over a month to recover from, if the problem is serious.
Real Madrid can only hope that that is not the case as they have some huge games coming up, including the El Clasico against Barcelona, which could end up having major implications on the La Liga title race.
It remains to be seen when Courtois makes his return but one can only hope that it does not take him more than a week or two to return to full fitness. Otherwise, Real Madrid could be in some serious trouble, without one of their best players in their line up.
He has already shown how important he is to this team, with his display in the Champions League final last season.