Ancelotti faces goalkeeper dilemma ahead of Champions League final. Courtois or Lunin?
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti will give Thibaut Courtois another chance to impress before deciding which of his goalkeepers will start the Champions League final.
While, Courtois is considered one of the world’s top goalkeepers, he has just recently returned from a long-term injury. In his absence, backup Andriy Lunin helped take the team to the June 1 final against Borussia Dortmund.
Ancelotti said Friday he plans to give Courtois more playing time in the league to assess his form, but that he had one month “to think about it.”
Lunin was a rarely used backup to Courtois until the Belgian ruptured a left-knee ligament in August just two days before the start of the season. The Ukrainian took over the staring job and has impressed in his place.
Courtois had been sidelined until he started last weekend’s 3-0 win over Cadiz, a victory that secured Madrid’s 36th Spanish league title.