Something is going on with Bale Real Madrid Not in squad for Sevilla clash

Gareth Bale won't be facing Sevilla on Saturday afternoon after being left out of the matchday squad by Zinedine Zidane.

The Welshman was expected to return to action after recovering from the infection that kept him out of the Supercopa de Espana, so why was he left out?

Could it be an injury? It doesn't look like it. This is a decision by the coach, who might be tired and annoyed at Bale's constant fitness problems, like the one that prevented him from travelling to Saudi Arabia.

Bale's situation at Real Madrid is far from ideal. He doesn't get on with Zidane and their relationship is becoming more distant.

It's a far cry from how the season started when, after a summer of uncertainty, Zidane called Bale back into the squad and back into the starting line-up.

The forward repaid his coach's faith in the first couple of games, but he hasn't taken advantage of the opportunity given to him since.

A real turning point came in October when Zidane left Bale out of the matchday squad to take on Club Brugge in the Champions League for no apparent reason.

Bale then started to miss club games though injury, yet he was still involved with the Welsh national team in both the October and November Euro 2020 qualifiers.

In fact, his game time with Wales (450) minutes is around half of the 900 odd minutes he's played in a Real Madrid shirt this season.

Wales. Golf. Madrid.

The "Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order" flag certainly didn't help Bale's cause and, whether it's a coincidence or not, he's not featured from the start much since with Los Blancos.

Since then, he's made seven appearances for Real Madrid, with just three of those coming from the start.

Out in the cold

Bale's latest absence against Sevilla comes with no apparent injury problem. Within the club, it's thought that Zidane doesn't believe that the Welshman is 100 percent fit after his illness.

There's also a theory that Zidane is making a point to Bale over his Supercopa absence. The forward trained all week in the event of Real Madrid getting to the final but, even though Los Blancos did make the showpiece event, he didn't end up travelling over to Jeddah.

Could you imagine Ramos missing the Supercopa because of the flu or a cold?

"Ramos is an example," Zidane said of his captain.

"We know the character he has.

"He always wants to play. He's always an example, he's our leader.

"He's the talisman for everyone and he's a role model."