Bale: Real Madrid man ruled out of Espanyol, Club Brugge games
Gareth Bale is to miss at least the next two Real Madrid games with a hamstring injury, following Eden Hazard and Marcelo into the sickbay.
Gareth Bale has joined Eden Hazard and Marcelo on the Real Madrid treatment table after being diagnosed with swelling to his hamstring, an injury that will see him miss Saturday's LaLiga clash with Espanyol and Wednesday's Champions League match against Club Brugge.
Bale taking no risks with Clásico in mind
Having trained individually on Tuesday and Wednesday, Bale was again missing from Madrid's group session on Thursday as a result of the problem. It is not serious, but with the Clásico coming up he has opted against taking any risks and expects to be available for the game against Barcelona on 18 December.
Zidane left with limited wide options
Bale is also unlikely to play in Madrid's match against Valencia on 15 December, leaving Los Blancos' head coach, Zinedine Zidane, with Rodrygo Goes, Vinicius Júnior and Brahim Díaz as his only options on the wing, given that Hazard, Lucas Vázquez and Marco Asensio are also out with injury.
Real Madrid reveal Hazard, Marcelo injuries
Earlier on Thursday, Madrid confirmed that Hazard has suffered a microfracture to his ankle and Marcelo has picked up a calf strain, with the pair expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks and three weeks, respectively.