Real Madrid could not find a way past Real Mallorca on Sunday, a result that Carlo Ancelotti admitted ‘hurt a lot’. However the blows keep on coming as it looks like star goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois could be out of several matches.
The Belgian suffered an injury to his adductor in the warm-up ahead of their 1-0 defeat to Mallorca. According to Marca, he is almost certainly out of the Club World Cup.
Courtois will undergo tests on Monday morning, with serious doubts about whether he will board the plane to Morocco. Real Madrid face Al Ahly on Wednesday, before a potential final at the weekend.
It could leave him out of their Champions League first-leg against Liverpool too, which is now just 15 days away. Los Blancos also face Elche and Osasuna in La Liga ahead of that tie, with a Madrid derby and an El Clasico Copa del Rey semi-final against Barcelona on the horizon at the beginning of March too.
Courtois made a record nine saves against Liverpool in the Champions League final last year, and while both sides look very different this season, Courtois’ absence could well define the tie. The Belgian missed a number of games earlier in the season, with Ukraine international Andriy Lunin deputising in his stead.
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