A new edition of El Clasico is underway, with Barcelona playing at home this time, while Real Madrid will be looking to secure all three points on Matchday 10 of La Liga. Unfortunately for Jose Mourinho, Thibaut Courtois will be a last-minute absentee, as he has failed to recover from a virus.
“Courtois trained normally yesterday, but in the last few hours was hit hard by a virus,” The Athletic‘s Mario Cortegana revealed on X. “He went to Valdebebas this morning and then waited until the end to see if he would feel well enough for El Clasico.”
As a result, the Merengues will have to rely on Andriy Lunin as their starting goalkeeper. The surprise comes on the bench, as academy prospect Illia Voloshyn had to be called up at the last minute.
A major blow for Real Madrid
Real Madrid lose a massive, stabilizing wall whenever Thibaut Courtois is sidelined. So far in the 2026–27 campaign, the Belgian goalkeeper has logged 9 appearances across La Liga and the Champions League, racking up 29 saves with a sharp 76.3% save percentage and allowing just 9 goals while recording 2 clean sheets.
Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid warms up.
His absence means losing elite shot-stopping, supreme command of the penalty area on crosses, and an invaluable composure under pressure that routinely bail out Madrid’s high-line defense in high-stakes fixtures. Without him anchor-ing the backline, Andriy Lunin has to step up, but the drop-off in sheer aerial presence and clutch big-game experience is something Real Madrid instantly feel.
Jose Mourinho’s confirmed starting XI
With the aim of securing three vital points, here is the starting XI Jose Mourinho is expected to field for Real Madrid in El Clasico. Andriy Lunin; Dean Huijsen, Ibrahima Konate, Marc Cucurella; Bernardo Silva, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham; Yan Diomande, Kylian Mbappe.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial! 🆚 @FCBarcelona_es 👉 @UnicajaBanco https://t.co/bBESv0aW6C
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) October 25, 2026
Key takeaways
- Thibaut Courtois will miss El Clasico for Real Madrid due to a virus.
- Thibaut Courtois logged nine total appearances for Real Madrid in the 2026–27 campaign.
- Jose Mourinho will start Andriy Lunin in goal against Barcelona.
