JAKARTA - Gareth Bale will certainly not join the Real Madrid squad against Manchester City in the second leg of the Champions League last 16, Friday, August 7. What is the reason Zinedine Zidane did not bring the Welsh winger to the Etihad?
Sources have suggested that Bale has told Zidane he does not want to go to England, after learning that he is not in the squad.
"There is a correlation between mutual respect between players and coaches," Zidane said at a press conference as quoted by Antara, Friday, August 7.
"He prefers not to play, nothing else, and the rest is up to him and me," added the Frenchman.
Zidane said the decision was more a personal decision than a tactical one, but he did not want to go into details. The coach only emphasized that there are things that should not go out of the dressing room.
Bale's removal added to the problem for the Welshman. Previously, the former Tottenham Hotspur player had only once appeared as a core player in Los Blancos' last 11 matches after the Spanish League resumed during the pandemic era.
When asked about Bale's future at Madrid, Zidane replied, "Gareth Bale is a Real Madrid player, nothing has changed, and I respect him like other (players)."
Zidane has more positive news regarding Eden Hazard, who he says is fit to face City despite the pain in his injured right ankle last month.
"He (Hazard) had some problems at the end of the La Liga season, but now he is better and we have plenty of time to prepare for this match," said Zidane.
"I think he's fine and feels confident," he added.
Hazard underwent surgery on his ankle in March but he is still recovering from the pandemic era.
"Playing every two or three days makes it difficult for him to recover. But he is now fine and should not play with discomfort," said Zidane.
It's just that Madrid will certainly not be strengthened by their captain Sergio Ramos against City. Though Los Merengues needed a win to overturn a 1-2 deficit from the first leg in February to secure their way to the quarter-finals.
"We have a problem. But we know tomorrow is another game and the knockout matches don't end until the last minute," he concluded.
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