Report: Bale's Tottenham reunion in jeopardy after latest setback

Gareth Bale's a major doubt for Real Madrid's pair of Champions League clashes against former club Tottenham, according to the Guardian's Stuart James.

The Welshman's fresh calf injury, which will reportedly require up to a month of rehabilitation, is yet another setback for a player who's struggled to stay healthy since his move to the Spanish capital in 2013. Various other muscle injuries to his hamstring and ankle have cost him dozens of matches in the royal white kit.

Bale looked like his old self in last week's 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, launching a vicious volley past goalkeeper Roman Burki to kick-start the scoring.

The calf issue forced him off in the 85th minute, and he was ruled out of Wales' final two World Cup qualifiers after missing Madrid's weekend victory over Espanyol.

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Madrid will host Spurs on Oct. 17 before travelling to Wembley on Nov. 1. If Bale needs more than four weeks to recover from the injury, he'll likely be sidelined for both contests.

Bale's yet to face the north London side in a competitive fixture since his big-money switch to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Isco stands to fill in as Bale's replacement in Zinedine Zidane's lineup, slotting behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema as a free-roaming No. 10. The same combination worked well as Madrid claimed its second consecutive Champions League title last season.