Courtois is ready for his debut

Could get the nod ahead of Navas

Posted Saturday, August 25, 2018 by Marca.com

The tension between Keylor Navas and Thibaut Courtois is on a new dimension, as both goalkeepers are giving their best in practice, but it seems like the Belgian has won the battle and is set to make his debut in Real Madrid's visit to Girona.

On Saturday, Julen Lopetegui will appear at the pre-match press conference and surely one of the questions will be of the 6'6'' goalkeeper and his potential debut.

Los Blancos' coach will most likely not inform the media on his decision but everything points that Courtois will be Madrid's goalkeeper against the Catalan side.

The former Chelsea man has progressed exponentially in recent training sessions and he now looks to be the favourite to be placed in the goal.

What remains to be seen is whether the decision is final or if the competition will remain between the two shot stoppers.

Keylor already confirmed he is up for the challenge after the signing of Courtois.

"I'm as eager to leave Madrid as to die," the Costa Rican said.

Now, all eyes will be on Lopetegui and whether he will opt for the Carlo Ancelotti formula - a goalkeeper for LaLiga and another for the Champions League - or a designated keeper who will face the bulk of the season's matches.

Courtois, who was presented as a Madrid player on August 9, travelled to Tallinn along with the rest of Los Blancos but he failed to get the call-up in the UEFA Super Cup against Atletico Madrid.

Then, six days ago, against Getafe, he made the squad list, but was left on the bench for the entirety of the match and Keylor took advantage, putting in a high-level performance and keeping a clean sheet.

Now, after two weeks of making the switch to the Spanish capital, the best goalkeeper of the 2018 World Cup in Russia is facing the great opportunity to finally debut with Real Madrid.