After two separate knee injuries in the last eight months, Thibaut Courtois is finally ready to make his return to action with Real Madrid.
The 31-year-old tore his anterior cruciate ligament in August, before injuring his other knee in March. Courtois trained with his teammates last week and Carlo Ancelotti decided he was ready to play. He therefore included him in his group for the semi-final first leg of the Champions League against Bayern Munich on Tuesday at the Allianz Arena. The Belgian goalkeeper is alongside Andriy Lunin and Kepa Arrizabalaga.
This is an important moment for Courtois, which will delight many Real Madrid fans. Lunin will start in Bavaria on Tuesday, but he could be replaced for the second leg at Santiago Bernabéu, with AS reporting that Courtois wants to start this crucial encounter.
Courteous in the group against Bayern
Dani Carvajal and David Alaba are also ‘included’, although neither will play. The former is suspended for the first leg, while Alaba is still recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in December.
The return of Courtois presents Ancelotti with a selection problem. Lunin has been very good this season, although he has suffered a downturn in the last two weeks, with errors against Manchester City and Barcelona. This could mean he is no longer guaranteed to feature in Real Madrid’s squad for the remaining Champions League matches.
