Bale to miss midweek Villarreal match

Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale will not be available for Wednesday's visit from Villarreal, as the Welsh international will be rested with what the club is calling a muscle injury.

"He picked it up after the Getafe game. He'll not be involved as he's got an overload but we hope it's only that," Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane said during Tuesday's presser.

"It's a little pain that he's got behind the leg but I’m not a doctor. He'll not be with us tomorrow but I hope he'll be back for the next game."

Bale, 26, has been hampered by various ailments during the 2015-16 campaign, including a calf injury that saw him miss eight matches between January and March.

"He's got a great future ahead of him and I've got a good relationship with him because he's a very straight-forward lad and every day he's improving his Spanish. He's a very important player for the team and he knows that but he's young and can still improve."

The pacey winger has appeared in 20 La Liga matches this season, with 16 goals paired with 10 assists.

Zidane also suggested that both Dani Carvajal and Pepe will miss the visit from the Europa League semi-finalists, looking ahead to a trip to Rayo Vallecano on Saturday as a potential return for both.

"We're going to monitor it every day. He's got some discomfort, he's got a bruise. He'll not be available tomorrow. We're going to take it a day at a time and we'll see for the next game," Zidane said about Carvajal's status.

Real hosts the Yellow Submarine with its title ambitions reinvigorated, as the capital club has paired seven wins on the trot with Barcelona's dip in form to sit a point back of its Catalan rival with five matches to play.