Gareth Bale Likely to Miss El Clasico after Knee Injury

Real Madrid have confirmed that Gareth Bale has suffered a very bad knee injury in the 2-1 victory against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League.

The 27-year-old had to be taken off from this victory with what appeared to be a very bad injury. It made him a serious doubt for the upcoming El Clasico this weekend. Latest reports, though, claimed that the player could be out for a much longer period, although Real Madrid did not specify the time frame. Bale is an extremely important player for the club and his absence would be a major blow for manager Zinedine Zidane.

The Welshman only recently signed a contract with the club, and he is one of the highest earners with the contract paying him around £350,000 a week in addition to a £ 1 billion release clause. This contract was largely as a result of the player’s impressive performance in recent weeks.

After having almost managed to win the Euro 2016 with the Welsh national team, he has gone on to score 11 goals in 20 appearances for Wales and Madrid since August. It is likely that Zidane would rather get Bale back over this victory, as it means that he will be unavailable against Barcelona.

The El Clasico this weekend provides a great opportunity for Barcelona to close the four-point advantage possessed by Madrid. “Gareth Bale suffered more of an ankle twist than a knock,” said the manager after the game. Barcelona have been highly inconsistent in the league this season and it was due to the absence of players like Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi for major chunks of the campaign. However, both players are expected to be fit for the home game against Madrid. The reigning Champions League winners have games against Sporting Gijón and Cultural Leonesa before the trip to the Camp Nou.