Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti confirms that Thibaut Courtois will make his first appearance of the season against Cadiz.

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Thibaut Courtois will make his first appearance of the season in Saturday's La Liga clash against Cadiz. Courtois picked up an ACL injury in training ahead of Real Madrid's first match of the 2023-24 campaign against Athletic Bilbao, and he then suffered another knee problem in training in March.

The second issue led to more surgery, but the Belgium international was always confident of returning to action before the end of the season, and he has stepped up his recovery in recent weeks.

Ancelotti said last month that Courtois was in line to feature against Cadiz, and the Italian has now confirmed that the team's number one goalkeeper will play this weekend.

However, the Real Madrid head coach has said that Andriy Lunin will be back between the sticks for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich next week.

Thibaut Courtois will play against Cadiz on Saturday "Courtois is fine. Tomorrow he will play after a long time. It's good news that he's back, just like [Eder] Militao. He can contribute, he's fine, he's very excited. We're delighted that he's back," Ancelotti told reporters during his press conference on Friday.

"The final we have in mind is Wednesday against Bayern, where Lunin will play. Then, we'll see."

Courtois has made 230 appearances for Real Madrid since his arrival in the summer of 2018, including 49 outings in all competitions during the 2022-23 campaign.

The 31-year-old has already won eight trophies during his time at Bernabeu, and he could now contribute to two more, with Real Madrid chasing success in La Liga and the Champions League.

Los Blancos will be confirmed as La Liga champions with four games to spare if they overcome Cadiz and then second-placed Barcelona fail to beat third-placed Girona later in the day.

Real Madrid could win La Liga title on Saturday "The objective is very clear: add three points to get closer to winning this competition," Ancelotti added when questioned on the title race.

"We only think about fulfilling our objective against a team that is fighting to avoid relegation, that arrives at the Bernabeu with desire and enthusiasm."

Real Madrid are currently top of the table, 11 points clear of second-placed Barcelona, while Cadiz sit 18th, five points behind 17th-placed Celta Vigo in the battle to stay in the division.

David Alaba is the team's only absentee this weekend, with Aurelien Tchouameni fit despite fears over a foot injury.

Ancelotti will ring the changes ahead of the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Bayern, with the Italian also confirming that Arda Guler will be a starter on Saturday.

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