Real Madrid finally lost their grip over the top spot in the La Liga table, when they drew 1-1 vs Osasuna. It was a major blow for Los Blancos, as Barcelona now sit at first and have been in terrific form themselves after an unexpected draw on the opening day. Thus, the title race is expected to be extremely tight this time around between the biggest teams in Spain.
The upcoming game vs Shakhtar Donetsk is a good chance for Real Madrid to bounce back, although they have some key players missing at the moment as well.
While Karim Benzema made his long awaited return vs Osasuna, unfortunately missing the penalty kick, Luka Modric has now been placed on the sidelines. And the name of Thibaut Courtois has now been added to the unavailability list as well.
Courtois is out of action indefinitely and it is unclear when he will be back. He looks almost certain to miss out against Shakhtar Donetsk though.
Real Madrid star looks set to miss out vs Shakhtar Donetsk
As reported by AS, Courtois remains out but he is expected to be back for El Clasico. In this morning’s session, he didn’t train but instead worked with the physios and doctors on his recovery. Thus, Andriy Lunin is expected to be between the posts in the upcoming game vs Shakhtar Donetsk.
It is safe to say that Courtois is one of Real Madrid’s most important players. We have seen proof of that time after time, especially in the Champions League final vs Liverpool last season.
Thus, one can only hope that Courtois is back fit and available as soon as possible. Otherwise, it might become a bit of a problem for Real Madrid. Now it remains to be seen how long it will take for him to recover.