What a twist! Courtois could still start in El Clásico despite being ruled out
An incredible last-minute twist could be unfolding at Real Madrid just hours before El Clásico.
Details: Real Madrid officially announced that Thibaut Courtois would miss tonight's clash against Barcelona due to a flu-like illness. The club even called up young Ukrainian goalkeeper Illia Voloshyn to replace him in the squad. However, according to The Athletic, the Belgian shot-stopper is now feeling better and remains hopeful of traveling with the team and making himself available for the match.
Remarkably, a surprise appearance in the starting lineup has not been completely ruled out. Despite the club's official announcement, Courtois is reportedly determined to give himself every possible chance of participating in one of the biggest matches of the season.
Earlier, Fabrizio Romano reported that Andriy Lunin was expected to start in goal for José Mourinho's side. However, the latest information about Courtois' improving condition suggests that the situation could still change before kick-off. No official reversal of the goalkeeper's withdrawal has been announced.
Barcelona will host Real Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou tonight, October 25, in the tenth round of La Liga. Kick-off is scheduled for 21:00 local time.
It is worth noting that Courtois has started all 12 of his competitive appearances for Real Madrid this season, making 45 saves and keeping two clean sheets, according to the club's official statistics.
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Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
