FC Barcelona have two very important and difficult matches coming up for them, as they face Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in quick succession.
The Blaugranes are going to play against the Bavarians tonight at the Montjuic in their third Champions League match this season. Then, on Saturday, they will face the current European and Spanish champions, Real Madrid.
The Merengues will be coming for this El Clasico with their spirits quite high, as they won their against Borussia Dortmund last night with a 5-2 scoreline. However, Carlo Ancelotti will also face some difficulties in this game, as he will be without some of his most important players.
David Alaba, Brahim Diaz, and Dani Carvajal are already out with injuries, while Rodrygo Goes was also recently ruled out for the match against Barcelona as he suffered a hamstring issue in the game against Dortmund.
However, these might not be the only important players that Real Madrid will miss, as Fabrizio Romano reports that the goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has also suffered a muscle injury, and he is also a doubt for the upcoming El Clasico.
There is no doubt that Courtois has been among the best goalkeepers in the world for the last several years, but he has lately been struggling with injuries. He spent almost the entirety of the last season on the sidelines due to an ACL tear and has already suffered another injury earlier this season.
However, Real Madrid will still have their goal well-covered as they have Andriy Lunin as Courtois’ backup. The Ukrainian was one of the core ingredients of this Merengue team as it won the UCL and La Liga double last season. Still, the absence of a player as important as Courtois can still hurt them, and thus favour Barcelona in the upcoming game.