Real Madrid had a wonderful afternoon on Sunday as they picked up an El Clasico victory over Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu, but it was far from a perfect day. Aside from the controversy with Vinicius Junior and Xabi Alonso, it was also confirmed that they had Andriy Lunin sent off during the closing stages of the match.

The Ukrainian goalkeeper, backup to Thibaut Courtois, saw red “for leaving his bench to the rival bench, in an aggressive attitude, having to be held down by his own teammates”, and because of this, he has been served with a one-match suspension, as per Diario AS. The Disciplinary Committee dished out the punishment after turning down an appeal from Real Madrid, but the matter is far from over.

The report has stated that Real Madrid intend to submit a second appeal, this time to the Appeals Committee. If accepted, it would mean that Lunin is not available to face Valencia this weekend, whereas an overturned decision would ensure that Alonso would have his backup goalkeeper at his disposal for the visit of Los Che.

Real Madrid’s options to replace Lunin

There is a good chance that Real Madrid see their second appeal rejected, which would mean that Lunin is able to be in the matchday squad to face Valencia. If this is the case, Courtois would need a new backup for the Santiago Bernabeu, it is expected that the position will be filled by Fran González, with Sergio Mestre as third-choice goalkeeper.

In the next 24-48 hours, it will be known whether Real Madrid’s second appeal for Lunin’s red card has been successful. If so, he can be included in the squad to face Valencia, for a match that could see Los Blancos stretch their lead at the top of the La Liga standings to eight points.