It turns out that Thibaut Courtois will actually play this season. The Belgian goalkeeper suffered an ACL rupture two days before the season started. In late winter he found himself on the comeback trail, training again, until he suffered a meniscus tear.
It was thought that the Real Madrid true No.1 was done for the remainder of the season, but he’s actually nearing a return.
Real Madrid at Bayern Munich FYIs
Competition: UEFA Champions League Semifinal Leg 1/2
Kickoff: Tue. Apr. 30, 8pm, Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Team News:ย ย ย Real Madridย ย ย ย Bayern Munich 1ย ย Bayern Munich 2
Starting XI Predictions:ย ย Real Madridย ย ย ย Bayern Munich
Win Probability: Real Madridย 34%ย Drawย 26%ย ย Bayern Munich 40%
Real Madrid Team News
Manager Carlo Ancelotti outlined the game that might see the return of Courtois.
“Let’s see if Thibaut can [play] against Cadiz,” he said after last nightโs win over Real Sociedad. The clash with Cadiz is one week from today. The return of Courtois really puts the future of current No. 1 Andriy Lunin into question.
Shifting gears to the Champions League clash on Tuesday night in Bavaria, Dani Carvajal is suspended while David Alaba remains out for the season.
Otherwise, Ancelotti has no selection concerns for this match.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor ofย The Sports Bank.ย Heโs also theย author of โTransatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,โ andย โNo, I Canโt Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.โ
He currently contributes toย Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMGโs NFL Wire Networkย and theย Internet Baseball Writers Association of America.ย His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated,ย Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times.ย You can follow himย onย Twitter.
