Shock! Real Madrid leader ruled out of El Clásico
Real Madrid have suffered a major blow just hours before the biggest match in Spanish football.
Details: Thibaut Courtois has been ruled out of tonight's La Liga matchday 10 clash against Barcelona after coming down with the flu. The Belgian goalkeeper had initially been included in Real Madrid's squad for the trip to Camp Nou, but his condition forced a last-minute change.
Real Madrid have called up young Ukrainian goalkeeper Illia Voloshyn to the matchday squad in Courtois' place. The club has not announced who will start in goal against Barcelona, meaning the final choice remains to be confirmed.
The 19-year-old Voloshyn currently represents Real Madrid C and has already had a taste of first-team football. In August, he made his senior debut during the preseason victory over Schalke 04, entering the match in the 87th minute as a replacement for Andriy Lunin. He is also a Ukraine Under-20 international.
Barcelona and Real Madrid meet at Camp Nou on Sunday in the tenth round of La Liga, with kick-off scheduled for 21:00 local time. Courtois' withdrawal therefore comes only hours before one of the most important fixtures of Real Madrid's season.
It is worth noting that Courtois had started all 12 of Real Madrid's competitive matches in which he featured this season before El Clásico. According to the club's official statistics, the Belgian has played 1,080 minutes, made 45 saves and recorded two clean sheets in the 2026/27 campaign.
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Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
