Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Andriy Lunin has made the tough decision to rule himself out of Saturday’s Champions League final clash against Borussia Dortmund. Unlike the rest of the squad, he didn’t travel to London.
Lunin has been a standout player throughout the season, seizing an unexpected opportunity when Thibaut Courtois sustained a long-term injury in August. However, his availability for the final had been uncertain all week.
The Ukrainian goalkeeper, who temporarily ceded his La Liga position to the now-fit Courtois but retained his spot in both legs of the Champions League semi-final triumph over Bayern Munich, was absent from training on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday due to flu.
While the Madrid squad departed for England on Thursday, Lunin remained behind. Reports from Marca suggested that due to the risk of contagion, he was expected to travel separately on Friday or even on match day. Nevertheless, the likelihood of him featuring in such a scenario was slim, as indicated by his Instagram post on Thursday evening.
“I regret that I won’t be able to prepare for the most significant game of the season and of my career with the team,” Lunin shared with his 3.3 million followers.
This turn of events means that Thibaut Courtois is poised to make his first Champions League appearance of the season in the final, potentially securing his second European title.
Here’s the 25-player squad for Real Madrid in the Champions League final:
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Fran Gonzalez
Defenders: Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Nacho, Lucas Vazquez, Fran Garcia, Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Dani Ceballos, Arda Guler, Mario Martin
Forwards: Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Joselu, Brahim Diaz
