Real Madrid have confirmed their 19-man squad for their clash against Sevilla on Saturday, and there is no place for Gareth Bale.
Los Blancos are back in La Liga action after lifting the Spanish Supercopa last week, and as they continue to try and gain an advantage over rivals Barcelona at the top of the table, they will hope to put the pressure on them with a win on Saturday.
However, they’ll attempt to do so without Bale, and it isn’t due to the illness that ruled him out in Saudi Arabia, with AS reporting that the club have confirmed that it isn’t due to a physical issue, but instead due to technical reasons.
It’s been a difficult season for the 30-year-old so far, as he’s managed just two goals and two assists in 14 appearances.
He won’t get the chance to add to those tallies this weekend despite training this week, and so it raises question marks over whether or not it is simply a decision taken for this particular game, or if he doesn’t form part of Zidane’s plans in the bigger picture.
Time will tell which is the more accurate reasoning, but there is also mixed news on the injury front for the Real Madrid boss with Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema both struggling with knocks since the Supercopa success and fighting to be passed fit this weekend, as noted by AS.
As seen in the club’s tweet below, Benzema has successfully recovered to take his place in the squad, but there is no Ramos which will be a blow for Zidane as his solidity and leadership at the back will no doubt be missed.
It’s still a world-class squad though that the French tactician has at his disposal from back to front, but there will no doubt be plenty of questions asked about Bale’s exclusion after the game.
? Here's our 19-man squad for tomorrow's match against @SevillaFC_ENG!#RMLiga | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/EmALR7GEaV
— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) January 17, 2020