News

March 25, 2018

Belgium’s Courtois to miss Saudi Arabia friendly through injury

Belgium’s Courtois to miss Saudi Arabia friendly through injury

Courtois

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has withdrawn from the Belgium squad for Tuesday’s friendly against Saudi Arabia due to a hamstring injury, the Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said on Sunday.

Courtois

The 25-year-old played in Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat by FC Barcelona in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.

But he missed the club’s English FA Cup win over Leicester City last week, with manager Antonio Conte saying Courtois had a muscle injury.

Courtois was called up by Belgium in spite of the problem, but he has failed to recover in time.

“Thibaut Courtois has not recovered from his hamstring injury and left the group… Get well soon, Thibaut!” the RBFA said on their official Twitter account.

The RBFA said Belgium manager Roberto Martinez is yet to decide on Courtois’ replacement for the friendly, with Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet likely to start.

The Belgian’s injury makes him a major doubt for Chelsea’s crucial English Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur on April 1 as both teams battle to finish in the top four.