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The reigning European champions, Real Madrid, are faced with a significant setback as they prepare for their upcoming participation in the Club World Cup. The club will be without their first-choice goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, who suffered a thigh muscle injury during the warm-up for their match against Mallorca.
Minor Muscle Damage
The initial analysis of Courtois' injury has determined that he will be out of action for at least two weeks, ruling him out of the Club World Cup and casting doubt on his availability for the upcoming match against Liverpool in the Champions League.
According to The Athletic, Courtois is not expected to travel with the rest of the squad to the Club World Cup.
A Major Blow for Real Madrid
The injury to Courtois comes at a crucial time for Real Madrid, who are already eight points behind Barcelona in the Spanish La Liga and preparing for a critical match against Liverpool in the Champions League.
Courtois' absence would be a significant blow to the team, as he has made 24 starts this season and the club is currently struggling on the pitch. After their loss to Mallorca, Real Madrid's manager Carlo Ancelotti told reporters, "In a long pass in the warm-up, he had a problem and we changed him.
Let's see tomorrow." Courtois has two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, to recover from what is described as "minor muscle damage" in order to participate in the semi-final match against Al Ahly in the Club World Cup. However, it is more likely that he will sit out the entire week, with the third-placed playoff and final scheduled just three days after the semi-final encounter.
Real Madrid will play their first match in two days against Al-Ahly in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup. They will then face Elche and Osasuna in La Liga and will visit Liverpool in England. Ahly is on course to at least match their past two appearances which resulted in bronze medals.
“We achieved the victory after a great effort from the entire team, less than 48 hours after the Auckland game, and the fatigue that accompanied it," Afsha said. “I am happy with the goal, but I am happier with the qualification for the semi-finals.
I only care about Al Ahly’s interest. Winning the man of the match award of course makes me happy," he added. "I also won the award in the 2020 and 2021 Champions League finals, but the important thing is that these games ended with Al Ahly winning.
Real Madrid is the best team in the world. It is my childhood team, but we will give everything we have and we will play to win."