Courtois expects a great game at Arsenal

The 'Merengues' confirmed the blow in an official medical bulletin: "Courtois is a late withdrawal due to a bout of flu for tonight's match between Real Madrid and Barcelona, corresponding to matchday 10 in the league."

As a result, Jose Mourinho will deploy Andriy Lunin between the sticks at Camp Nou. With Courtois not even fit enough to make the bench, Real Madrid C goalkeeper Illia Voloshyin has earned a late call-up to round out the matchday squad.

The encounter marks Lunin's maiden outing of the 2026-27 campaign. The Ukrainian stopper had not featured since a run between March and early May last term, when he deputised whilst Thibaut Courtois nursed a right quadriceps tear. Over that stretch, he started nine of his 12 matches across the season, including the Champions League quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich.

Sunday's showdown will also be the 27-year-old's fifth 'Clasico'. With Lunin in goal, Real Madrid have claimed three victories and suffered just one defeat. That record includes the 2024 Spanish Super Cup triumph while Courtois was sidelined with a severe knee injury, although his solitary loss came in a bruising 4-0 league reverse at the Santiago Bernabeu in October 2024.