Real Madrid have put together an impressive season thus far, building a solid lead in La Liga, and making their way to the Champions League quarter-finals against Manchester City, picking up a Spanish Supercup on the way. They have done so without two key players in Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao, but Carlo Ancelotti hopes to have them back against Pep Guardiola’s side.
The pair suffered anterior cruciate ligament injuries within the space of three days at the start of the season, and have been recovering since, but trained normally for the first time this week. While there is no intention to rush them back, Ancelotti is expected to introduce them back into the side after the international break, say Marca.
Provided Courtois returns at the level he was, he will be back in goal, and force Ancelotti to drop Andriy Lunin, despite his excellent showings in recent months. Meanwhile by the 9th of April, when Manchester City will be at the Santiago Bernabeu for their quarter-final first leg, he hopes to be using Eder Militao too. They note that just under seven months will have passed since the Brazilian’s injury, when the recovery time is normally set at eight, but both have enjoyed smooth recoveries so far, moving ahead of schedule.
The case for bringing Courtois back in is obvious, and with Militao, it might seem a little soon given the higher physical demands of outfield play, but it is no surprise. Ancelotti has shown he does not have full confidence in captain Nacho Fernandez by using Aurelien Tchouameni in defence instead at times, but given the threat facing them, Ancelotti will no doubt want the more experienced and proven Militao alongside Antonio Rudiger.
