Real Madrid‘s nightmare season will see them play Espanyol in LaLiga‘s Matchday 34. However, ‘Los Blancos‘ won’t be able to play with two of their stars, Kylian Mbappe, and Thibaut Courtois.
Mbappe is dealing with a torn hamstring in his left leg, which ruled him out for several weeks. He is targeting a return for El Clasico, but is very much in doubt, as his real focus is to be fit for the World Cup.
The Frenchman is in the middle controversy as instead of rehabbing, he was seen on vacations in Italy alongside rumored girlfriend, Spanish actress Ester Exposito. This prompted a backlash of many Madrid fans, questioning the forward’s professionalism.
Why is Courtois not playing vs Espanyol?
Thibaut Courtois is still recovering from a muscular injury he suffered during a Champions League match against Manchester City. He’s been sidelined since March 17. The injury was in the right quadriceps.
Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid
Courtois has returned to partial training, and is also aiming to return on May 10 for the showdown vs Barcelona. Madrid are on the verge of consummating a no-title season once again, which is unacceptable to this team’s standards.
Who will play instead of Mbappe and Courtois?
It’s pretty much a guarantee that Andriy Lunin will be the goalkeeper, as he’s a premium backup for Courtois. Lunin has played 11 games this season, conceding 21 goals. While these are not good numbers, Lunin is still a very good goalkeeper.
As for who’ll replace Mbappe, manager Alvaro Arbeloa has used either Arda Guler or Brahim Diaz. This allows the team to keep up the pace up front. However, Gonzalo Garcia gives Madrid the ability to use a more traditional center forward.
