( kodma168 )Thibaut Courtois has confirmed he is fit to play in Real Madrid’s European trip to Arsenal on Tuesday. kodma168

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has confirmed he is available to return to action for Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg at Arsenal after missing the last three games with a thigh injury sustained during the Belgium international break, Diario AS reported on Monday. 

Courtois has spoken about how the trip to Arsenal will be different to the 2-1 home defeat to Valencia in the league, saying: ‘I don’t think there will be any big changes. We don’t go out and play in the league. In the Champions League the adrenaline is higher, instead of giving 100 per cent you go to 110 per cent, but every mistake means more goals, but it’s not a big change.

The 32-year-old also addressed the criticism of the team, saying: ‘We are very much guided by the performance. I don’t think we played badly against Valencia, we missed a penalty and they scored in the last minute to make it 2-1. From the dressing room we felt we did well but the performance was not in our favour. It’s April and we still have a chance to win all three competitions. The team knows what we have to do and we believe we did well, but the important thing is the performance. ‘

Courtois also spoke about his fitness: ‘I’m fine. I had a little problem, it’s normal, but I’ve had a lot of training sessions. Now we have to change our mindset for the Champions League and play a good game against a strong opponent. ‘

‘I am 100 per cent sure. You have to ask the coach if I can play from the start, but I am ready. I am on loan and on the pitch at the moment. I am ready to play. I expect a good atmosphere. I have played here many times with Chelsea.’ 

Before talking about dealing with set pieces, he said, ‘Yesterday we practiced everything. We know how to defend corners. The first thing is not to concede too many corners. It’s about concentration, movement, sometimes the quality of the opponent also plays a part. If the ball comes to you perfectly, it’s hard to defend. But we’re ready to do it. We believe that what we’ve prepared will work out well for us.’

‘We have a lot of respect for Arsenal. I have a lot of friends who are Arsenal fans. I know they are doing well in the Premier League. They have experienced players. Their defence is very strong. We have a lot of respect for them.’

kodma168 ‘I hope we can hurt them. It’s going to be a big game and we want to win. It’s only a matter of time before they win a big trophy.’ ( kodma168 )