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Is Thibaut Courtois Playing Tonight for Real Madrid vs. Barcelona in El Clasico?
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- Is Thibaut Courtois Playing Tonight for Real Madrid vs. Barcelona in El Clasico?
Real Madrid take on Barcelona as Jose Mourinho looks to close the gap between the two clubs in the La Liga table.
Today's El Clasico also marks Mourinho's first meeting with Barcelona since returning to the club this summer.
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Despite making several major signings during the summer transfer window, Los Blancos have made a shaky start to the season. They currently sit third in the table, six points behind league leaders Barcelona.
Hansi Flick's side, meanwhile, have won all nine of their opening matches, breaking club records set during Pep Guardiola's legendary era.
An in-form attack led by Lamine Yamal and Raphinha has helped Barcelona score 39 goals so far, compared to Madrid's 23.
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Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe before the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.NurPhoto / Getty Images
Mourinho will therefore be desperate for a win tonight. If Madrid can secure all three points, it would ease the early-season pressure on the Portuguese manager and potentially set the tone for the rest of the campaign.
However, Mourinho is without a key player, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois reportedly coming down with the flu.
Why is Thibaut Courtois Not Playing Against Barcelona?
The Belgian has been Real Madrid's first-choice goalkeeper this season, starting every match so far.
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Concerns about Courtois' availability for El Clasico emerged after reports confirmed that he would be unavailable for tonight's match, with Andriy Lunin expected to take his place.
According to reports, Courtois' unavalaibility was because the goalkeeper had come down with the flu, forcing Real Madrid to make changes to their lineup.
Real Madrid Official Lineup:
Lunin; Valverde, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Tchouameni, Bernardo; Guler, Bellingham, Diomande; Mbappe.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the Soccer section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
