Real Madrid will face Barcelona at Camp Nou without Thibaut Courtois after the goalkeeper’s flu symptoms failed to improve enough for him to travel. Andriy Lunin, who has not played a competitive minute this season, takes over for his fifth Clásico on a night that reshapes Madrid’s preparations from the first whistle.
Key takeaways
- Courtois has been ruled out after a severe bout of flu, despite a brief hope that he could fly to Barcelona later in the day.
- Lunin will make his first official appearance in 175 days and his first of the current campaign.
- Real Madrid’s reserve goalkeeping group at Camp Nou will consist of Lunin, Sergio Mestre and Voloshyn.
- Courtois had played every one of Madrid’s 1,080 competitive minutes this season before this absence.
- Lunin has won three of his previous four Clásicos, although he has yet to keep a clean sheet against Barcelona.
A late decision ends Courtois’ ever-present run
Courtois trained normally on the previous day, but began to feel unwell later in the afternoon and his condition worsened during the evening. An initial assessment on the morning of the match concluded that he was not fit to play and would remain in Madrid.
There was then a short-lived possibility that the Belgian might recover sufficiently to join the squad on a 16:00 flight. Madrid were prepared to wait for a marked improvement, but the progress proved too limited. Courtois is therefore definitively out.
It is his first missed match of the season. Before falling ill, he had completed 12 games and 1,080 minutes, recording clean sheets against Málaga and Villarreal. His absence removes a central figure from Madrid’s side for one of the season’s defining fixtures.
Lunin now assumes the responsibility in Barcelona. His last competitive outing came on 3 May 2026, when Madrid won 2-0 at the RCDE Stadium, also on the eve of last season’s visit to Camp Nou. He has featured during pre-season against Alcorcón, Leganés, Fiorentina, Ferencváros, Deportivo de la Coruña and Schalke 04, but had not been used in an official match since that May appearance.
Lunin returns as Madrid rearrange their goalkeeper plans
The Ukrainian’s record in the Clásico offers encouragement: three wins and one defeat in four meetings with Barcelona. He has conceded seven goals across those games, an average of 1.75 per match, and is still seeking his first shutout in the fixture.
His most recent match against Barcelona remains a painful memory for Madrid, a 4-0 home defeat in which Robert Lewandowski scored twice and Raphinha and Lamine Yamal added the other goals.
Courtois’ illness also forced changes further down the club’s goalkeeping ladder. Voloshyn had been expected to start for Real Madrid C against Conquense at Valdebebas, with the visitors second in Segunda RFEF Group 5, but was called to the airport after the first medical assessment of Courtois. He will travel as the third goalkeeper, behind substitute Mestre.
Javi Navarro was selected for Castilla’s trip to Algeciras, which ended in a 2-0 defeat. Madrid’s resources have been reshuffled quickly, but the decision is final: Lunin will stand in goal at Camp Nou, with Courtois unable to make the journey.
