Real Madrid Discomfort upon Copa comeback

After coming off the bench to send Real Madrid into the next round of the Copa del Rey, Gareth Bale is set to miss the weekend match at Athletic Club.

At the final whistle on Tuesday night, the Welshman felt discomfort having not played in two months due to a collection of injuries.

Therefore Los Blancos feel no need to risk him when they travel to Bilbao on Saturday, even though Bale demonstrated how instrumental he can be for his team when introduced against Fuenlabrada.

It is hoped that the winger can be fit for the following midweek dead rubber against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, which would provide a good opportunity for more minutes under his belt.

While this is a minor setback, it is not the recurrence of any previous injury and Madrid are willing to show patience in their desire to get Bale back to top condition for the first time in a while.