MADRID • Thibaut Courtois left Chelsea on bad terms last summer and he expects to feel the same anger from Atletico Madrid fans when he lines up for Real Madrid in LaLiga today.
Courtois developed into one of the world's top goalkeepers after three years on loan at Atletico, but this will be his first appearance at the Wanda Metropolitano in the colours of their bitter rivals.
The Belgium goalkeeper will also be involved in another subplot, as his former Chelsea teammate Alvaro Morata is expected to make his home debut against the club where he came up through the academy and spent five seasons at.
The Spain striker may be charged with leading Atletico's line in what could prove a pivotal cross-town derby this weekend.
Real arrive on the back of four LaLiga wins on the bounce and will leapfrog their opponents with a win, while a victory for Atletico could jump-start their faltering title challenge, having fallen six points adrift of leaders Barcelona.
For Courtois, a reunion with Diego Simeone's men is not new - he faced them twice for Chelsea in the Champions League last season and again at the Santiago Bernabeu in September - but the 26-year-old is expecting a far more hostile reception this time round.
He said: "It happens in football, it's a derby and a derby here in Madrid is always heated.
"They'll whistle and shout, everything you would expect, it's part of football. I will always respect them. Now I'm playing for the other side."
However, Courtois, who won multiple honours with Atletico including the 2013-14 LaLiga title, offered an olive branch to Atletico fans, who earlier in the term vandalised his stadium plaque.
He added: "It is still a special match. I respect the fans and the club a lot, in the end, they gave me the opportunity to play when I was just 19 years old."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
ATLETICO V REAL MADRID
StarHub Ch213, 11.10pm
Southampton 1-3 Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp's side return to top of Premier League after tough test at St Mary's as Liverpool reclaimed top spot in the Premier League by coming from behind to beat
Liverpool back above Man City at the top of the league
Football: Barcelona on a mission to right the wrongs - The Straits Times 18-02-2019 22:00 via "allintitle:Mission" - Google News Football: Barcelona on a mission to right the wrongs The Straits TimesBARCELONA • Clement Lenglet ought to be unscarred by Barcelona's Champions League failure last season, but disappointment reverberates around the
Fantasy Football Interview; A league winner on a mission
Jorginho fired Chelsea to a 2-1 win at struggling Fulham on Sunday as Blues keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga began to make amends for his Wembley mutiny with an impressive display. Maurizio Sarri's side
Password requirements: 6 to 30 characters long; ASCII characters only (characters found on a standard US keyboard); must contain at least 4 different symbols;
Mohamed Salah completed a memorable day for Egyptian football by retaining his African Player of the Year award in Senegal Tuesday. Salah Retains African Award to Seal Great Day for Egypt
Salah retains African award to seal great day for Egypt
Liverpool produced one of the most stunning comebacks in Champions League history to beat Barcelona 4-0 and progress to the final for the second consecutive year on Tuesday as stand-in striker
Liverpool stun Barcelona to overcome deficit and reach UCL final
Italian Side Inter Milan have completed a deal that will see Antonio Conte becomes their new manager, according to Fabrizio Romano.The former Chelsea boss has reportedly signed a three-year contract that will see him earn €12 million per season.
How Antonio Conte could affect Chelsea and - football.london
Pep Guardiola claimed he still doesn't believe Manchester City can win the quadruple after his side reached the FA Cup final with a 1-0 win over Brighton on Saturday.
Guardiola coy over quadruple bid after City reach FA Cup final
Mark Lawrenson is backing Chelsea FC to bounce back to winning ways in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Cardiff City on Sunday. The Blues suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss to Everton at
Cardiff 1-2 Chelsea - Premier League 2018/19: Live score
Worries that a Barcelona stroll to the title will be boring to watch are not on Ernesto Valverde's mind after his team's latest big win en route to reclaiming their LaLiga crown. ( marca.com ) submitted 1 year ago by scadonl
Messi Secures Barcelona 26th LaLiga Title For His Personal 10th
The home of Iran Football on BBC Sport online. Includes the latest news stories, results, fixtures, video and audio.
0 comments:
Post a Comment