Article by Aurelian Botezatu – Published on Thursday, 19 March 2026, 15:02 / Updated on Thursday, 19 March 2026 15:02
Thibaut Courtois, the starting goalkeeper of Real Madrid, will miss several important matches due to the muscle injury suffered in the return match with Manchester City (2-1 / 3-0 in the round).
The Belgian goalkeeper defended the “Etihad” very well in the first half. But at halftime he asked to be changed because, according to the daily “Marca” he felt “muscular weakness”.
Thibaut Courtois has a muscle tear and will be sidelined for 6 weeks
Initially, the club said it was a muscle strain, which would have prevented Courtois from playing in Sunday's derby with Atlético. But throughout yesterday, rumors began to circulate that he had suffered a more serious injury.
This was confirmed on Thursday, after he underwent a thorough medical examination. Final diagnosis: muscle injury to the rectus femoris of the right quadriceps. Which, according to the same Brand, implies a break of 6 weeks!
Thibaut Courtois loses the “double” with Bayern in the “quarters” of the Champions League
Courtois will thus lose not only the derby with Atletico, but also the “double” with Bayern in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. If the most optimistic predictions of the club's medical staff are correct, the Belgian could be fit in time to play in a hypothetical Champions League semi-final (April 28/May 6) provided Real Madrid, without their starting goalkeeper, manage to knock the German champions out of the competition.
His recovery by then is very important for another reason as well. On May 10, at Camp Nou, Real will play the second leg of El Clasico in La Liga, against Barcelona. In the round, the “galacticos” prevailed 2-1, but at the moment they are 4 points away from the Catalans in the La Liga standings.
The current standings in La Liga
