Ancelotti Confirms Courtois To Start In Champions League Final For Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Thibaut Courtois will start in goal for Real Madrid in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Much of the pre-match discussion centred around which goalkeeper Ancelotti would choose, given Andriy Lunin's pivotal role in helping the team reach the final while Courtois was sidelined with a long-term knee injury.
However, it appeared that the Ukrainian ruled himself out of the game in a social media post on Thursday. Lunin stated, "I am very sad to say that I won't be able to prepare for the most important game of the season and the most important game of my life with my team. Many thanks for the messages of support and encouragement!"
In his press conference on Friday, Ancelotti confirmed that Courtois would be starting in goal as Lunin has been suffering from the flu and had to travel separately from the rest of the squad. The Belgian goalkeeper recently returned to action by featuring in four LaLiga games earlier this month, keeping clean sheets in all of them.
Courtois was also named Player of the Match in the 2022 Champions League final due to his outstanding performance in Real Madrid's 1-0 win over Liverpool.
@thibautcourtois @lukamodric10 #UCLfinal | #APorLa15 pic.twitter.com/hzvb5es95B
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) May 30, 2024
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