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Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois sent out a message for his Barcelona counterpart Marc-Andre ter Stegen after his injury. He expressed his sadness at the German's injury and wished him the best for his recovery.
Late in the first half of Barca's La Liga clash against Villarreal at El Madrigal on Sunday (September 22), Ter Stegen landed awkwardly after catching a ball. He was writhing in pain as doctors attended to him. He was eventually stretchered off in tears amidst applause from the supporters.
Real Madrid's No. 1 Thibaut Courtois shared a message of solidarity for Ter Stegen, writing on X (translated from Spanish):
"I'm sorry about the injury @mterstegen1, it really hurt to see you leave the field like that. I hope you can recover soon and we can see you in goal again."
Early reports suggest that Marc-Andre ter Stegen is likely to miss the rest of the season due to the injury. Barca have confirmed that he has suffered an injury to the patellar tendon injury, stating:
"First team player Marc Andre ter Stegen underwent successful surgery this afternoon on a patellar tendon injury in his right knee, performed by Dr Joan Carles Monllau under the supervision of the FC Barcelona Medical Services at the Hospital de Barcelona. He will be unavailable for selection until he has fully recovered."
In his absence, Inaki Pena is likely to man the goal for the Blaugrana.
A look at Real Madrid and Barcelona's results this season ahead of a huge El Clasico
Barcelona have had a stellar start to the 2024-25 campaign while Real Madrid are unbeaten across competitions despite being arguably underwhelming.
Barca have won all six La Liga games this season, starting with three 2-1 wins over Valencia, Athletic Club, and Rayo Vallecano. They then hammered Valladolid 7-0 before beating Girona 4-1 and Villarreal 5-1. In the UEFA Champions League, though, they lost 2-1 against AS Monaco away in their first game of the league stage.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, began their campaign with a 2-0 win over Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup. They played out a 1-1 draw against Mallorca in their La Liga opener before beating Valladolid and then drawing against Las Palmas. They have won their next three league games since, beating Real Betis, Real Sociedad, and Espanyol. In the Champions League, they beat VfB Stuttgart in their opening game.
Real Madrid are now on a 38-game unbeaten streak in La Liga and are looking to break Barcelona's record of 43 games. Interestingly, their 43rd game in the streak, if they stay unbeaten till then, is against Barca at home in the El Clasico.
