Alphonse Areola tasked with saving Real Madrid's season
The French goalkeeper could be called on if injury-hit Thibaut Courtois is ruled out. Eibar and Manchester City are Real Madrid's next rivals.
There is concern at Real Madrid for Thibaut Courtois' fitness. The goalkeeper limped off the pitch at the end of last night's game against Betis and the club is waiting to see the results of tests to determine how serious the injury is. Courtois had been in his best moment of form since joining Madrid, but now his deputy, Alphonse Areola could be called on as Zidane's team fix their sights on the Champions League and LaLiga.
Madrid trail City going into the return leg at the Etihad
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Areola has performed well whenever Zinedine Zidane has given him a chance to play and the team's next two games - against Eibar on Friday then against Manchester City eight days later - both will be key to Madrid's season.
Apart from the first four games of the season with PSG, Areola has played a total of eight games during the current campaign, totalling 674 minutes of playing time. He came on for the second half of the Champions League game against Brugge, when Courtois fell injured. His last outing was in the Copa del Rey, when Madrid were eliminated by Real Sociedad, losing 3-4 at the Bernabéu.
Areola: 12 goals conceded, two clean sheets
When he has played, Areola's figures have been decent - in his eight appearances, he has ended on the winning side six times, drawn one and lost one. He has conceded 12 goals since he joined the club and kept two clean sheets - in the Liga Santander game against Osasuna and in the Copa del Rey tie with Zaragoza.
The French goalkeeper has looked solid and not committed any major gaffes so he will feel up to the responsibility of guarding Madrid's net in a crucial part of the season when LaLiga and the Champions League are both in play. But before Zidane makes a decision on the goalkeeping situation, first Courtois' injury needs to be assessed.