Gareth Bale would not feature for Real Madrid in their upcoming Cup game against Espanyol because of the blow that he received on his groin while being in action the other day against Granada.
However, it has been confirmed by the Madrid management that the Welshman is not seriously injured and he should be available for the next league match against Athletic Bilbao.
Bale didn’t take the ground after the half time break in the match against Granada because of his groin niggle, but, despite his absence, Los Blancos found the net twice in the second half and secured their 17th victory in the Spanish top flight this season.
That win didn’t make any difference to their position in the points table though. They are still at no. 3, but, they have got just one point less than the top two sides in the table and they would certainly have started believing now that they can regain the title.
The two guys who struck for Madrid against Granada were Cristiano Ronaldo (in the 56th minute) and Karim Benzema (in the 74th minute).
Yesterday, when the Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti was asked about the possibility of Bale playing against Espanyol, he said, “There isn’t any damage done to his genitals. He is just struggling a bit with left leg, but, it would be good if we give him some time to recover. He should be fit and fine for the weekend.”
“As far as tomorrow’s game is concerned, Jese would replace him in the line up.”
Madrid would go into the match against Espanyol with a bit of advantage. They have already won the first leg by 1-0 and even a draw would seal their place in the semi final of the tournament.