Thibaut Courtois is expected to be out for approximately six weeks after suffering a thigh injury during Tuesday’s 2-1 win against Manchester City, sources informed ESPN.
The goalkeeper for Real Madrid was substituted for Andriy Lunin during the second half of the Champions League round of 16 second leg, where two goals from Vinícius Júnior secured a 5-1 aggregate win for the Spanish team.
On Thursday, Real Madrid released a statement saying, “Following evaluations conducted by our medical team, Thibaut Courtois has been diagnosed with a muscle injury in the rectus femoris of his right quadriceps. His recovery process will be observed closely.”
This injury is a significant setback for Real Madrid as they will be without their star goalkeeper for the upcoming Madrid derby against Atlético in LaLiga, as well as both matches in the Champions League quarterfinal against Bayern Munich.
If Courtois’ recovery lasts the full six weeks, he will miss seven matches across all competitions.
With Real trailing Barcelona by four points in LaLiga, Álvaro Arbeloa will be hoping to have the Belgian keeper back for the El Clásico at Camp Nou on May 10.
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Barcelona’s goalkeeper Joan García also faced an injury concern during Wednesday’s 7-2 victory over Newcastle United.
However, after being substituted for Wojciech Szczesny, Barcelona confirmed on Thursday that medical examinations revealed no injury, and García is expected to be available for selection in the upcoming match against Rayo Vallecano.
Information from ESPN’s Rodra contributed to this report.