Thibaut Courtois ruled out of El Clásico with flu-like illness; Lunin in line to start

October 25, 2026 NOWLIVO

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will miss Sunday’s El Clásico against Barcelona because of a flu-like illness, the club announced on October 25. The late change leaves Madrid without its first-choice goalkeeper for the La Liga match and puts Andriy Lunin in line to start.

Madrid called up Illia Voloshyn in Courtois’s place. That is a change to the matchday squad, not an announcement that Voloshyn will be in goal. Lunin and Fran González Mestre were both named alongside Courtois in the squad Madrid released on Saturday.

Madrid’s goalkeeping plans change on match day

The club described Courtois’s absence as a last-minute withdrawal due to a flu-like illness. It did not announce how long he might be unavailable. For now, the confirmed update concerns Sunday’s game, rather than a longer-term injury absence.

Lunin is Madrid’s established first-team alternative to Courtois and the likely choice to face Barcelona. The starting lineup will confirm who takes the gloves. Voloshyn’s addition gives Madrid another goalkeeper in the squad after Courtois was ruled out.

The timing makes the change significant. Courtois started Madrid’s 4-1 Champions League win over Leipzig on Wednesday, making two important saves before his team took the lead. Four days later, Madrid must prepare for its biggest domestic fixture without him.

Who is Illia Voloshyn?

Voloshyn is a Ukrainian goalkeeper in Real Madrid’s youth setup. He played for the first team in a preseason friendly against Schalke in August, coming on for Lunin late in the match. Sunday’s call-up places him in the senior matchday squad, but Madrid has not named him as Courtois’s starting replacement.

Barcelona hosts Real Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday, October 25, in the 10th round of the 2026–27 La Liga season. Kickoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. in Spain. Madrid’s lineup will settle the immediate question in goal; any update on Courtois’s availability beyond El Clásico will depend on his recovery.