Courtois ruled out of Clasico with flu, Lunin to start in goal for Real Madrid against Barcelona

With just hours to go before kickoff, Real Madrid took a hit nobody wanted to see right before a Clasico. Thibaut Courtois was pulled from the starting lineup with the flu and will miss the meeting with Barcelona at Camp Nou, part of matchday 10 of LaLiga, with the Whites arriving six points behind the leaders.

The club itself confirmed the news in a short, direct statement: "Courtois is a late withdrawal for tonight's LaLiga match between Real Madrid and Barcelona due to a bout of flu," the Madrid outfit said, adding that Illia Voloshyn had been called up to round out the squad in his place.

The Belgian's absence, at 34 years old, is no small detail for Xabi Alonso's setup. Courtois had been a key piece in the team's recent upturn in form, including a standout performance in the 4-1 win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League in midweek. His natural replacement will be Andriy Lunin, 27, who is already well versed in this understudy role, having started for much of the run to the 2024 Champions League final.

Still, the door isn't completely shut. A source consulted by ESPN said that even though the squad had already traveled to Barcelona, Madrid had not entirely ruled out Courtois joining the group later if his condition improved significantly in time for the match. It was a situation that was essentially decided right down to the wire.

The backdrop doesn't help ease the tension. Madrid arrives at this Clasico under pressure, having already lost twice in LaLiga this season, away to Real Betis and Atletico Madrid, while Barcelona comes in as the only team with a perfect record in the league. Put that way, it sounds like an uphill climb, but it's also true that Madrid has been trending upward: the team's level has clearly improved since the international break, with Courtois one of the key figures behind that improvement.

As if that weren't enough, the goalkeeper's absence doesn't come alone. Madrid also won't be able to count on Vinicius Junior at Camp Nou, who is still serving a four-match domestic suspension. Two significant absences for a match that already carries extra weight on its own.

With Lunin between the posts and no Vini up front, the script Xabi Alonso had prepared for Camp Nou changed at the last minute. It remains to be seen whether the coaching staff tweaks anything else beyond the goal, though the truth is the team had been feeling better about itself than it had a few weeks ago, and amid the absences, that's the one thing working in the visitors' favor.