Real Madrid reveal Thibaut Courtois update on eve of Champions League trip to Arsenal

Carlo Ancelotti had to call on his third-choice keeper for Real’s surprise La Liga defeat at the weekend

A difficult task for Arsenal when they face Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday just got tougher.

Real boss Carlo Ancelotti expects his first-choice goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, to be fit for their trip to the Emirates this week.

The Belgian international returned to training on Sunday after missing four of their last six games with a muscle injury, which he suffered during the international break. The 32-year-old travelled with the squad to north London and described the injury as as a “small problem”.

“I am fully fit and I feel good,” he said on Monday. “It was not a big issue so I could train in the gym, and I have been on the pitch for the last day so I feel fine and 100 per cent.”

Defending champions Los Blancos face Arsenal in the first leg of their blockbuster quarter-final and should Courtois make the grade on Tuesday, he will relieve a major headache for Ancelotti.

Second-choice keeper Andrey Lunin has also been absent with a muscle injury, leaving 19-year-old shot-stopper Fran Gonzales to make his first-team debut against Valencia on Saturday.

Real lost ground in the title race as they suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat courtesy of a 95th-minute Valencia strike, an outcome Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is likely to have watched keenly for any hint of vulnerability ahead of their Champions League encounter.

Speaking ahead of the match, Ancelotti said: “Courtois is doing better, we think he can make Tuesday. We have doubts about Lunin, who will have a test today and who has had a slight discomfort. If he's not well, we have total confidence in Fran.”

Both sides are battling injury woes, with key players ruled out for both sides, particularly in defence. Ancelotti has Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao sidelined through injury and Aurelien Tchouameni suspended, while Arteta will be without the talismanic Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori at the back.