Real Madrid confirm Thibaut Courtois return date

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will make his return for Real Madrid in Saturday's game against Cadiz.

Courtois suffered an ACL injury in pre-season but was hopeful of returning in April, before he suffered another knee injury that many feared would end his campaign.

However, the Belgian made it back to the bench for the Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich and Ancelotti has now revealed Courtois will be back between the sticks for Madrid against Cadiz in La Liga at the weekend.

"He's fine," Ancelotti said of Courtois. "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."

It had even been suggested that Ancelotti could turn to Courtois against Bayern on Wednesday, but the boss confirmed he will retain his faith in Andriy Lunin for the time being.

"The final we have in mind is Wednesday against Bayern, where Lunin will play," Ancelotti said when asked if Courtois would start the Champions League final. "Then, we'll see."

Ancelotti added: "We only think about the final we have on Wednesday. We don't think about what could happen in a month. We'll see. Hopefully we can think about it, it would mean that we would have reached the final in London."

Centre-back Eder Militao, who now has six appearances after coming back from his own ACL injury, will also play against Cadiz with a view to building up his fitness before the end of the season.

"Militao will play tomorrow to pick up the pace," Ancelotti confirmed.

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