Courtois among five Real Madrid players to miss La Liga match against Atletico Madrid
After taking Manchester City out in the round of 16 of the Champions League, Real Madrid look to finish a perfect week with another huge match. In La Liga the race is close, so the derby against Atletico Madrid is a hard obstacle to leave behind in their title chase. While Thibaut Courtois won’t be available, he’s not the only one out.
For this match, manager Álvaro Arbeloa won’t be able to put five players in the lineup. The main absence from the team logically comes in goal, as Courtois got injured in England last Tuesday, with a timetable for return of six weeks. Andriy Lunin replaced him a few days ago in a change that should be repeated.
The other four players have important names while not being usual starters for the manager. Rodrygo, Éder Militao, Dani Ceballos and Ferland Mendy are the players Arbeloa can’t put on the field or the bench in this heated match.
Huge return for Arbeloa
The list of absences seems important mainly because a top goalkeeper like Courtois can’t be present. However, the names that are returning clearly stand out, as several talented players have left injuries behind.
Fans may be thrilled to know that Jude Bellingham was already allowed to play again after a muscle injury that saw him on the stands for over a month. His presence in the midfield should give Real Madrid a boost.
Arbeloa has a pair of players that join Bellingham in the list of returns. A return that may be very noticeable is Álvaro Carreras’, while defender Raúl Asencio is also ready again, as they can give more flexibility to the manager in the last line of the team.
Real Madrid seek revenge
The standings say that Real Madrid sit four points behind Barcelona, which is the objective. Atletico Madrid are nine points behind, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous, especially considering what happened in their previous La Liga meeting, when Atletico Madrid demolished their rivals 5-2. Real Madrid won 2-1 in the Super Cup in January.