Real Madrid will get their first indication of whether 100 million euros ($133.1 million) was money well spent when world record signing Gareth Bale makes his debut in Saturday’s La Liga match at Villarreal.
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said Bale, whose pre-season was disrupted by protracted negotiations over his move from Tottenham Hotspur, would not necessarily start the game at the Madrigal but would feature at some point and would likely be deployed on the right.
The Wales winger played the final half hour of Wales’s 3-0 World Cup qualification defeat at home to Serbia on Tuesday, his first competitive action since July, and trained with his Real team mates for the first time on Wednesday.
‘I think everyone knows his pre-season was not normal but his physical condition is not bad,’ Ancelotti told a news conference. ‘Tomorrow he will travel with the team and he will play. ‘I don’t know if he will start but he will definitely play some of the match. ‘I don’t think now is the right moment to leave him out.’
Martino rests Pedro, Busquets passed fit
MADRID: Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino has continued his rotation policy by leaving Pedro Rodriguez out of his squad to face Sevilla on Saturday. Martino has already left out Lionel Messi, Neymar and Xavi Hernandez during his short spell in charge and says he will continue to distribute the workload around his squad with the demands of the Champions League also set to begin next week. ‘The absence of Pedro is just to give him a rest because he has played a lot of minutes,’ he said. Xavi and Alexis Sanchez also return after being rested for Barca’s last league outing against Valencia.