Gareth Bale misses Real Madrid’s practice match with foot pain

Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale did not feature in the team’s 90-minute practice match this Saturday after feeling pain on his foot. Bale is expected to recover from this small injury fairly soon and be totally ready to play when Real Madrid take on Eibar next Sunday.

Reports from Spain published early this week suggested that Bale had impressed teammates and the coaching staff with his good shape, but now the Welshman has missed a crucial match to see where each and every player is in terms of form and fitness.

Coach Zinedine Zidane split the squad in two teams:

Courtois, Carvajal, Varane, Nacho, Mendy, Kroos, Modric, James, Hazard, Asensio and Benzema wore the white kits, while Areola, Javi Hernández, Militao, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Casemiro, Fede Valverde, Isco, Reinier (played one half), Brahim, Rodrygo and Vinicius played for the other team. The match ended 2-2.

It will be interesting to see what Zidane does with his lineup next weekend. It’s probably a good sign to see Zidane playing Asensio, Hazard and Benzema in the same team and while it will be hard for Asensio to be the starter right from the get go, it looks like he will definitely be a relevant player during the 11 games left on Madrid’s schedule.