Why isn’t Thibaut Courtois playing for Real Madrid vs. Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League?

Real Madrid enters its Champions League trip to Greece with one unsettling storyline hanging over the build-up: Thibaut Courtois is not playing against Olympiacos, and the timing could not be worse for a side still searching for rhythm after a difficult run. Olympiacos, meanwhile, faces the Spanish giant with a mixture of urgency and opportunity, hoping its intimidating home atmosphere will again unsettle a visitor that has never beaten it on Greek soil.

The focus in the early hours of matchday is split in two directions—how Real Madrid responds to domestic pressure, and what is truly behind Courtois’ sudden disappearance from the squad. The club has traveled with a defensive line held together by improvisation, and the goalkeeper situation adds yet another layer of uncertainty.

The Greek champion arrives with only two points in its Champions League campaign so far, yet the feeling inside the Karaiskakis Stadium is far from hopeless. Olympiacos has never lost to the Whites at home, drawing three times and winning once, and enters this clash having won four of its last five games in all competitions. Individually, Daniel Podence promises to be the spark that threatens a Madrid defence missing almost all of its natural centre-backs.

For a club battling to survive in Europe, this match is nothing short of a final. Lose here, and the season’s continental chapter could effectively end. On the other hand, Real Madrid, ninth in the 36-team Champions League league-phase table, has been equally desperate to correct its own trajectory. After defeats and draws in recent matches—against Liverpool, Rayo Vallecano, and Elche—the league leaders in Spain are suddenly wobbling. Xabi Alonso’s choices are being scrutinized on all fronts, from tactics to personnel management.

And once again, his side enters a European night held together by patches. Militao, Alaba, Rüdiger, Carvajal, and Huijsen are all unavailable, leaving Raul Asencio as the only natural centre-back. New roles must be invented for Aurélien Tchouameni and Trent Alexander-Arnold just to form a functional back line. The distraction surrounding Courtois’ absence—kept vague in early reporting—has only intensified the scrutiny.

The truth behind Courtois’ absence

Only in the hours before departure did the club confirm the truth: Thibaut Courtois was ruled out after suffering a viral gastrointestinal infection, a sudden illness that forced him to abandon training at Valdebebas. “He has been diagnosed with viral gastroenteritis… he will be unavailable for the trip to Athens,” Los Blancos explained in an official medical update released Tuesday morning.

This was not a rest decision, nor rotation, nor tactical planning. The reason is simply illness, but it arrives at a moment when Madrid can least afford uncertainty. Backup goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, who has not played a single minute this season, now steps into the most hostile stadium in Greece.

The timing of Courtois’ setback could not be worse. Real Madrid has not won in its last seven away matches on Greek soil—zero victories, two draws, five defeats—and faces an opponent that historically thrives at home in European competition.