Here is why Lunin is starting over Kepa for Real Madrid against Real Mallorca

Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti has named the goalkeeper in Kepa Arrizabalaga and Andriy Lunin who will feature in the La Liga fixture against Real Mallorca.

The Los Blancos head coach who recently extended his contract at the club till June 2026 confirmed this in his pre-match press conference that Real Madrid's second-choice goalkeeper Andriy Lunin will start in the fixture against Real Mallorca over Chelsea loanee Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Ancelotti who has been faced with the task of deciding who will be in goal for Real Madrid in the absence of Thibaut Courtois confirmed that the reason for this decision is because Kepa had flu and had missed out on training and as such will not be able to feature for the team in general.

He also stated that he has not decided on the first-choice goalkeeper for the club as both Lunin and Kepa make him doubt and his decision will be based on who he has the highest confidence in each game week.

He said, “Kepa has had the flu, he has not trained in recent days and therefore Lunin is playing. I haven’t made the decision, because both of them make me doubt [it]. It is not correct for either of them that I say at this moment the starting goalkeeper. In each game I am going to choose the goalkeeper that gives me the most confidence.”