Thibaut Courtois will return to Real Madrid's home game against Cádiz CF on Saturday afternoon, Carlo Ancelotti confirmed at the press conference. The 31-year-old goalkeeper from the Royal will therefore make his first minutes of the season. His return comes at the expense of Andriy Lunin, who does play in the home match against Bayern Munich.

Courtois seriously injured his knee in preparation last summer and therefore had to recuperate for months. Real Madrid moved quickly after the Belgian left by hiring Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea.

The Spaniard played goalkeeper for most of the first half of the season, but after an injury he lost his place under the bar to Lunin, who subsequently became the undisputed number one. The Ukrainian has made 29 appearances so far this season and played a heroic role in the penalty shootout against Manchester City in the quarter-final of the Champions League.

Courtois, who also suffered a setback in his recovery, was included in the match selection for the first time this week in the away match against Bayern (2-2). The Belgian can now also prepare for his return to the starting line-up. “Courtois will play against Bayern on Saturday and Lunin on Wednesday,” Ancelotti said at the press conference. “Who plays in the Champions League final, should we make it? I do not know.”

No European Championship for Courtois
What is certain in any case is that Courtois will not be called up for the European Championship. National coach Domenico Tedesco recently confirmed this to German media.

The relationship between the two has been bad for a long time and that is probably the main reason for leaving the closing post at home. “I don't want to play ping-pong,” was the national coach's conclusion.

“We focus on players who are in good form,” said Tedesco. “Everything else has already been said on this subject. I don't want to play ping pong.”

Want to always stay informed of the most important football news? Join the Voetbalzone WhatsApp channel now!

More sports news