Key Takeaways
- Thibaut Courtois is on track to return from his hamstring injury for next weekend’s El Clasico against Barcelona at the Spotify Camp Nou.
- The Belgian has been out since March after picking up the problem during the warm-up for Real Madrid’s Champions League victory over Manchester City.
- Real Madrid must beat Espanyol on Saturday to keep their slim La Liga title hopes alive before facing their fierce rivals.
Real Madrid enter a critical phase of their season as they prepare to face Espanyol this Saturday. The match is a must-win affair if the club wishes to maintain any realistic chance of catching league leaders Barcelona in the La Liga title race.
Alvaro Arbeloa’s side currently trail the Catalan giants by 11 points. This deficit grew substantially during the recent weeks that star goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has spent on the sidelines.
The Belgium international has been missing since late March. He suffered a hamstring strain in the pre-match warm-up ahead of the Champions League quarter-final clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Despite the discomfort, Courtois bravely played the first 45 minutes of that encounter before being withdrawn.
During his absence, Ukrainian shot-stopper Andriy Lunin has deputised between the sticks. While Lunin has performed creditably, the club are desperate to have their number one keeper back available.
According to reports from Diario AS, Courtois is certain to return for the blockbuster derby at the Spotify Camp Nou next weekend. Medical staff are confident he will receive the green light to travel to Barcelona, although the weekend trip to face Espanyol comes too soon for his comeback.
The former Chelsea man has been conducting partial training sessions with the squad over recent days. He is expected to resume full group activities from the beginning of next week. If all goes according to plan, he will reclaim his place in the starting line-up for the high-stakes fixture.
The timing of his return also benefits his international ambitions. Courtois will have several weeks of competitive football to regain peak form before leading Belgium into this summer’s World Cup finals in North America. However, Real Madrid officials will regret that his recovery did not come sooner, when the title race was still within their control.