Ancelotti faces goalkeeper dilemma ahead of CL final

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti explained on Friday his plans to ensure his side reach the UEFA Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund on June 1.

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior (R) vies with Bayern Munich's Matthijs de Ligt during the UEFA Champions League semifinal second leg match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich at Santiago Bernabeu stadium, in Madrid, Spain, on May 8, 2024. (Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua)

Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday came four days after Ancelotti's side confirmed this season's La Liga title. That means the coach will be able to rest some players, such as Jude Bellingham, before the final, while others will be able to build up game time after long-term injuries.

"[Thibaut] Courtois is going to play, and [Eder] Militao is going to play. They need minutes," said Ancelotti, adding that he also had to "take into account players who have played less and have contributed a lot, such as Kepa [Arrizabalaga]."

He was also asked who would be Real Madrid's goalkeeper in the final, with Courtois returning to fitness after Andriy Lunin has performed exceptionally while the Belgian international was recovering from his knee ligament injury.

Former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas recently commented that Lunin deserved to start, but Ancelotti was keen to avoid any controversy.

"I respect what Casillas says and I am very fond of him, but I don't want to get into this debate, because I have almost a month to think about it and I haven't thought about it yet," commented the coach.

Real Madrid announced on Thursday that midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni had suffered a stress injury to his foot, and Ancelotti confirmed the worst predictions over the injury.

"We will try everything possible for him to recover well, but we have doubts that he can reach the final," informed the coach.