Eder Militao returns to Real Madrid squad to face Athletic Club
- Militao suffered a nasty ACL injury during the first game of the La Liga season
- Brazilian defender in line to return against Athletic Club on Sunday
- Thibaut Courtois remains sidelined after a setback
By Tom Gott
Eder Militao could make his long-awaited return for Real Madrid on Sunday after being named in the squad to face Athletic Club.
The Brazilian defender has been sidelined since the first game of the season, coincidentally against Athletic, when he suffered an ACL injury early in the second half.
After seven months on the sidelines, Militao is now set for his return to action after manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed he will be part of the squad to take on Athletic on Sunday.
"Militao returns tomorrow, which is the most important news," Ancelotti confirmed.
"He is not at 100%, because he needs to play football, but he is fine from the injury. It is very good news for us."
It had been hoped that Militao would be joined in this squad by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who suffered the same injury during pre-season and is yet to feature for the team this year, but the Belgian suffered a knee injury in training earlier this month which has kept him on the sidelines.
Courtois underwent surgery on his latest injury, which impacted the opposite knee to his original issue, and is likely to miss another six weeks of action.
"We have been unlucky with Courtois' injury, but he will be back soon," Ancelotti stressed.
Madrid head into Sunday's game sitting pretty atop the La Liga standings. They boast an eight-point lead over Barcelona, who could close the gap to five points when they face Las Palmas on Saturday evening.
READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
feed