Wales star Gareth Bale will miss Real Madrid‘s LaLiga clash against Sevilla on Saturday as he continues his recovery from a calf muscle injury.
But Real boss Zinedine Zidane has not ruled out Bale travelling with the squad to the United Arab Emirates, where they face a Club World Cup semi-final next Wednesday.
Bale took a part during training on Friday, but he will not play this weekend, with Raphael Varane joining him as an absentee after picking up a knock during the midweek Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund.
“We’ll see if he (Bale) can be fit enough for us in the semi-final,” Zidane said at his pre-match press conference, and reported by www.marca.com.
“He is not going to play on Saturday. The idea at this moment is for him to travel with us to the Club World Cup.”
Zidane, meanwhile, also faced questions about Cristiano Ronaldo‘s future at the reigning European champions, fresh from the 32-year-old winning a fifth Ballon d’Or.
👏🏆⚽ #CRI5TIANO
Congratulations to @Cristiano Ronaldo for winning his fifth Ballon d’Or! pic.twitter.com/qlxgm7kJRn— Real Madrid C.F.🇬🇧 (@realmadriden) December 7, 2017
“I see him here always,” Zidane added. “It is always the same debate about whether he’s happy or not.
“This is done to disrupt Cristiano and Madrid. He’s at the best club in the world, and there is no debate.”
Real and Sevilla are tied on points in LaLiga, with Madrid one place about their rivals in fourth, while Sevilla will join this weekend’s opponents in the Champions League last-16.
“They are a Champions League team that has had a great season,” Zidane said.
“It’s going to be a very difficult game against a good team. They are good on paper and have been playing very well lately.”
💬 Zidane: “The game against @SevillaFC_ENG is important and we need the Bernabéu behind us until the end.”
MORE: https://t.co/GQe9PZT50k#RMCity | #RMLiga pic.twitter.com/bouFDN35SP
— Real Madrid C.F.🇬🇧 (@realmadriden) December 8, 2017
Sevilla midfielder Pablo Sarabia, meanwhile, has urged his players to forget about their Champions League progress as they prepare to tackle Real.
“It’s going to be difficult, but we are ready,” he told www.sevillafc.es. “We know we need to counter their weapons, which are many.
“We have to be conscious not to drop our concentration for even 10 minutes. It’s a beautiful stage. Camp Nou and the Bernabeu are the hardest away matches, but we need to see that as an extra incentive. If we win, it will be a double boost in confidence.”
