Lunin will start for Madrid despite Kepa arrival, says Ancelotti
Lunin played in Real’s opening La Liga game after first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was ruled out for the majority of the campaign with an anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in training.
Published : Aug 18, 2023 17:29 IST , Madrid - 2 MINS READ
FILE PHOTO: Andriy Lunin of Real Madrid looks on during the La Liga match between Athletic Club and Real Madrid CF at Estadio de San Mames on August 12, 2023, in Bilbao, Spain. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Andriy Lunin will continue in goal for Real Madrid this weekend despite Kepa Arrizabalaga’s loan move from Chelsea, coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday.
Ukrainian Lunin played in Real’s 2-0 victory at Athletic Bilbao in its opening game of the La Liga season last weekend, after first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was ruled out for the majority of the campaign with an anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in training.
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Ancelotti said before that match that he had faith in Lunin despite the 24-year-old’s lack of experience, but he has since signed Arrizabalaga until the end of the season.
“Kepa is adapting very well, the first week of work has shown what we already know -- a lot of quality and a lot of personality,” Ancelotti told a pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s game at Almeria.
“Tomorrow we will continue with Lunin who did well in Bilbao and in the next games, we’ll see.”
Real has expanded its squad in an attempt to fight for the La Liga and Champions League titles after missing out on both last season.
Veteran midfielders Luka Modric and Toni Kroos only made appearances as second-half substitutes against Bilbao.
Ancelotti agreed with comments made this week by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola criticising the hectic nature of the schedule.
“They try to improve the quality of the show by putting on more matches -- to improve the quality you have to remove the quantity,” the Italian said.
“They want to put in more quantity to earn more money. They have to remove quantity to improve quality.
“The most affected are the players who suffer more injuries and cannot show the level of quality they have.”