Gareth Bale returns from injury as Madrid try to turn the tide

Before being struck down with a sixth soleus muscle injury, Gareth Bale was in flying form, having notched up nine goals and set up a further three in his last five games for Real Madrid, two of which he played under Zidane’s tutelage. The Welshman had never enjoyed such an extraordinarily prolific purple patch since moving to the Spanish capital, where he has spent far too much time on the recovery table. As such, his return, following 47 days on the sidelines, will come as good news for the team. His ultimate goal is to win the Champions League, and Madrid have six games (all being well) left in the competition to save their blushes in an otherwise forgettable season. The Welshman won’t be in the starting line-up, but should get a run out at some point. Zidane will be eager to get him into the swing of things again ahead of Roma’s visit next week. The same is true of Marcelo, who has also recovered from injury.

But the European stage is not the only thing playing on Zizou's mind. The Frenchman will also be trying to win over the fans again after last week’s derby defeat. Unprompted during his pre-match press conference, the Real Madrid boss pleaded with madridistas to show their support. This afternoon his team goes under the magnifying glass yet again and still to come to the Bernabéu are Sevilla, Eibar, Villarreal and Valencia, all of whom are looking more and more heavy legged as the season wears on. That being the case, Los Blancos have no choice but to win all their remaining games.

That’s not to take anything away from Celta. The Galicians topped the table at one point and while the distraction of the Copa del Rey saw them drop down to seventh, they haven’t slipped below eighth all season. They also possess a fierce attacking trident in the shape of Orellana, Aspas and Nolito, which featured in the recent meeting against Villarreal. Nolito’s long spell out with injury had a devastating effect on Berizzo’s team. With the 28-year-old striker in the side, Celta only lost three La Liga matches from 18. Without him, they suffered six defeats from nine. No wonder the club are drawing a big red line under his 18 million buyout clause in the face of Barcelona’s half-hearted attempts to sign him.

Keeping things tidy in midfield for the visitors will be Marcelo Díaz, while Berizzo has been forced to reshuffle his defence as Fontás and Cabral are both unavailable to play. Mallo will have to deputise at centre half, while Jonny will be tasked with keeping a lid on Cristiano Ronaldo.

Madrid will wheel out the academy players once again following their strong showing against Levante: Lucas Vázquez, Mayoral and Casemiro. Meanwhile, Carvajal and Ramos will be returning to action, as Zidane rests Kroos and Modric with next week’s Champions League second leg in mind. The space in midfield might be filled by Kovacic or Isco, who got the nod against fellow doghouse resident James at Ciutat Valencia, a decision that sent twitter into a frenzy on Thursday night. “He’s committed”, Zidane declared. That may be so, but he needs to prove it to the Bernabéu faithful first.