Real Madrid’s 5 absentees for the match against Leganés, with Courtois out
Real Madrid will face CD Leganés with several key absences.
LaLiga returns to the Santiago Bernabéu. After the international break, which saw the Nations League and 2026 World Cup qualifying matches played, the players are now back with their clubs to resume domestic competitions.
LaLiga Matchday 29 brings a derby that could prove decisive in the title race. Real Madrid will face CD Leganés at the Santiago Bernabéu, in a key duel in their battle for first place with FC Barcelona.
REAL MADRID WILL HAVE SEVERAL LOSSES
For the next match against CD Leganés, Real Madrid will be without several key players in Carlo Ancelotti’s lineup. Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos, Éder Militao, and Dani Carvajal continue their recovery processes.
On the other hand, a surprise emerged this morning at Real Madrid City when Thibaut Courtois did not show up to train with the rest of his teammates. The Belgian goalkeeper is practically ruled out for the match against CD Leganés, and his place will be taken by Andriy Lunin.
Javier Tebas’s words questioning Carlo Ancelotti’s work.
Javier Tebas oversteps the boundaries and questions Ancelotti’s work at Real Madrid
CA Osasuna is considering an improper lineup for Barça with Iñigo Martínez.
Barça may have breached a FIFA rule and Osasuna could appeal the match.
REAL MADRID’S POSSIBLE LINEUP AGAINST CD LEGANÉS
In addition to Thibaut Courtois’ confirmed absence, in defense, he will have the only two first-team players who have been at Valdebebas in recent days: Lucas Vázquez and Fran García. In defense, he will opt for Antonio Rüdiger and Raúl Asencio.
Aurelien Tchouaméni will operate as a midfielder, possibly accompanied by Fede Valverde, although his long trip from Uruguay may mean Luka Modric or Camavinga will partner the Frenchman.
In attack, the Italian coach will have his four regular players. Jude Bellingham will be the link between the midfield and Kylian Mbappé, with Vinícius Jr. on the left and Rodrygo Goes on the right.
Javier Tebas pushes the boundaries and questions Ancelotti’s work at Real Madrid
Javier Tebas takes on the role of a football coach to attack Carlo Ancelotti’s work
Javier Tebas’s situation is beginning to border on the surreal. The LaLiga president has once again lashed out at Real Madrid, this time directly attacking Carlo Ancelotti.
Javier Tebas continues to dwell on the coach’s statements made two weeks ago at Villarreal CF, where he complained about his players’ limited rest due to the schedules imposed by the club’s management. Now, LaLiga’s top official has gone further, questioning the Real Madrid coach’s work and lecturing him on his team’s management.
TEBAS’ ‘RECOMMENDATION’ TO CARLO ANCELOTTI
« If you make substitutions after the 85th minute, what are you complaining about? » Javier Tebas commented regarding Carlo Ancelotti’s handling of the substitutions he makes at Real Madrid.
« Now I have the problem of the 72 hours. We already knew what happened with Thursday and Sunday. There are the five substitutions that were to refresh the squads. The one who’s complaining is the one who makes the substitutions in the 85th minute. How are they going to rotate players? How many Real Madrid players have played 85% or 65% of their minutes? It can’t be that the blame for everything lies with the same thing, » Javier Tebas added.
A NEW ATTACK BY JAVIER TEBAS ON REAL MADRID
This isn’t the first time that Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, has publicly attacked Real Madrid. This time, the president directly attacked Carlo Ancelotti for his complaints after the match at Villarreal CF, where the Real Madrid manager expressed his discontent with the lack of rest his players had received.
Despite the short rest period, Real Madrid defeated Villarreal (1-2) at La Cerámica.
After the second leg of the Champions League round of 16, which ended almost at midnight after extra time, Real Madrid had less than 72 hours of rest before playing at La Cerámica on Saturday at 4:15 p.m., when they could have been scheduled to play on Sunday. This contrasts with the treatment meted out to Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid, who also participated in the Champions League and played on Sunday after their respective matches.
Carlo Ancelotti told a regular substitute: « You’re going to start against Leganés. »
Ancelotti spoke with one of his players about his starting spot in the next La Liga match.
Carlo Ancelotti told Andriy Lunin that he didn’t want to take any risks with Courtois’s discomfort and, therefore, wanted him to start this Saturday against Leganés and also in Tuesday’s Copa del Rey against Real Sociedad. The Ukrainian goalkeeper is ready and highly motivated to defend Real Madrid’s goal again.
Lunin has played 10 matches this season, which will make 12 with the two he will play now. These are good numbers for a Real Madrid substitute goalkeeper, and they could turn out to be higher, as Thibaut Courtois is not at full fitness, and it is likely he will need more rest in the coming months.
Carlo Ancelotti has great confidence in Andriy Lunin, as last season he saved the team in La Liga and the Champions League, proving himself to be one of the best in the world. Before those performances, the Italian had many doubts, which is why he started putting Kepa in the starting eleven, until he got injured and Lunin proved superior.
Absolute tranquility
Although the coaching staff prefers to have Thibaut Courtois available at all times, they are not worried about his inability to play against Leganés, as Lunin has played very well this season and is in good shape, ready to help the team when needed. It is precisely for this reason that Madrid has absolute confidence in the Ukrainian.
He was already scheduled to play Tuesday against Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabéu, as he is the goalkeeper for the Copa del Rey. The only real change is that tomorrow against Leganés, Courtois will rest, as he continues to recover from a muscle strain. He has already had several muscle problems throughout this season, but fortunately none of them have been serious.
Lunin’s Future
This season, there has been a lot of talk about the possibility of the Ukrainian goalkeeper leaving in one of the upcoming transfer windows. When Lunin renewed his contract with Madrid, they agreed that if he wanted to leave in one of the next seasons, the Whites would be willing to listen to offers.
For now, Andriy Lunin hasn’t asked to leave Real Madrid because he is happy, he is playing a few games, and he feels important to the team. He has a contract until 2030 and still aspires to become the starting goalkeeper. That’s why he works as hard as anyone and takes advantage of the opportunities Ancelotti gives him. Courtois’s renewal could affect his prospects, although everything will depend on Courtois‘ level in the coming seasons, as it is normal for his performances to decline every year, as is natural.
