Courtois set to miss Real Madrid’s crunch clash with Man City as Marcelo joins him on the sidelines

Real Madrid are likely to be without Thibaut Courtois for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 encounter with Manchester City after seeing their first-choice goalkeeper pick up an untimely injury.

The Blancos have confirmed that the Belgium international is nursing a groin complaint.

Courtois was able to see 90 minutes of La Liga action against Real Betis on Sunday, as Zinedine Zidane’s side suffered a shock 2-1 defeat.

He was, however, spotted hobbling in the aftermath of that contest, raising fears as to his involvement in upcoming fixtures.

And medical tests have now revealed that the 27-year-old will require a spell on the sidelines in order to recover full match fitness.

That means Courtois will be unavailable for a meeting with Eibar on Friday, before then sitting out a crucial European clash with City at the Etihad Stadium.

An update on Madrid’s official website read: “Following tests carried out today on Thibaut Courtois by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with an injury to his left adductor muscle. His recovery will be monitored.”

With Courtois ruled out, Zidane will have to turn to Alphonse Areola for cover between the sticks.

The Frenchman has taken in just eight appearances for Real this season, having been acquired from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal involving Keylor Navas.

Two of those outings have come in the Champions League, with Club Brugge faced home and away in the group stage.

Areola must now ready himself for crucial domestic and European fixtures that will have a big say in the outcome of Madrid’s season.

He is, however, not the only one being forced to step in during the enforced absence of an injured team-mate.

Zidane will also need to find another left-back to counter the loss of Marcelo, with the Brazil international having joined Courtois in the treatment room at Santiago Bernabeu.

He lasted just under an hour against Betis over the weekend before being replaced by Ferland Mendy due to a thigh problem, with it unclear when the South American will come back into contention.

Madrid said of Marcelo: “After tests carried out today on Marcelo by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a muscular lesion in the left femoral biceps.”

Zidane would have been hoping to be at full strength heading towards a meeting with Eibar that will present Real with a chance to move back to the top of the Liga table.

The Frenchman would've also wanted his senior stars available for the trip to Manchester, with the Blancos needing to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit against Pep Guardiola’s City in order to extend their European adventure into the quarter-final stage.