Real Madrid continued their preparations for this weekend’s La Liga clash against Espanyol with their third training session of the week at Valdebebas. The team will travel to the RCDE Stadium for Sunday night’s match (21:00 CET), and the intensity is gradually ramping up as matchday approaches.
The session followed a familiar structure. Players began with warm-up exercises and rondos on the pitch before moving into possession drills that incorporated finishing sequences. Training wrapped up with a small-sided
game on a reduced-size field, a staple designed to sharpen decision-making and intensity in tight spaces.
The main point of interest was Thibaut Courtois, who took part in portions of the session with the group. His gradual reintegration remains a positive sign as he continues working toward a potential return in time for El Clásico on May 10. That fixture appears to be a clear target for the Belgian goalkeeper.
However, Courtois is not expected to be part of the squad for the Espanyol match. The same applies to Kylian Mbappé, who is also aiming to be fit for the Clásico but is not in Álvaro Arbeloa’s plans for this weekend. Mbappé trained individually in the gym, alongside Éder Militão, Arda Güler, and Rodrygo, all of whom remain in recovery. Among that group, Rodrygo’s timeline appears to be the longest.
Courtois’ partial return to group work stood out as the only real novelty in an otherwise routine session, with the rest of the squad continuing preparations without major changes.
Madrid will return to training on Friday at 11:00 a.m. for what will be their penultimate session before traveling to Barcelona on Sunday morning ahead of the match against Espanyol.
