The discomfort that Thibaut Courtois felt during the warm-up has turned out to be a tear in the rectus femoris of the right quadriceps, which will keep him out for around a month and a half, according to the first estimates from Real Madrid. The goalkeeper complained about his right thigh while preparing for the match, but considered that he was fit to play. However, he stayed in the locker room at half-time, and Lunin came on in his place. The club explained that the Belgian had noticed an overload in the right adductor. They didn’t seem too alarmed after the first scans.
In fact, despite the discomfort during the warm-up, Courtois made four saves during the first half, one of them particularly difficult. In the 23rd minute, Haaland finished off Doku’s cross from point-blank range in the small area and the Belgian responded with extraordinary reflexes. The goalkeeper supported Madrid during the intense initial push by Guardiola’s team. But he only lasted until the break. At that moment, the situation did not seem too worrying, as Álvaro Arbeloa explained after the match: “Courtois had some discomfort. He was wanting to continue, but I think it was not necessary to take any kind of risk because we have another final in four days, a very important derby,” he said. The first game that the Belgian will miss is Atlético de Madrid’s league visit to the Bernabéu this Sunday (9:00 p.m., Movistar).
The club’s medical services considered that it was necessary for about 36 hours to pass in order to reliably evaluate the extent of the injury and subjected him to tests this Thursday. In that review they found the tear in the rectus femoris of the quadriceps that they announced in an official statement.
In the month and a half that the doctors estimate that he will be out, in addition to the derby, he will miss the Champions League quarterfinal tie against Bayern. Madrid receives the Germans on April 7 in the first leg and visits them in the return leg on the 15th. In addition to the derby and the European Cup match, if the scheduled deadlines are met, they would also miss four or five League games: against Mallorca, Girona, Alavés, Betis and perhaps Espanyol.
At that time, a hypothetical Champions League semi-final tie would also be played, with the first leg scheduled for April 28 and 29 and the return leg for May 5 and 6.
Courtois joins Madrid’s long injury list, in which Jude Bellingham is speeding up his recovery, who this Thursday carried out part of the training with the group and could be included in the squad for the derby, to which Carreras and Asencio are also close. There is a little more left for Militão, who could be back after the national team break, at the beginning of April. There is a little more left for Ceballos and Mendy, and much more for Rodrygo.
