Gareth Bale among seven potential Real Madrid absentees for key La Liga clash against Sevilla

Gareth Bale could be one of the seven Real Madrid first-team players to miss the crucial La Liga clash against Sevilla on Saturday (9 December) with the Welshman still unable to re-join the rest of his teammates in training 48 hours before the game.

Long-term injury casualty Luca Zidane remain on the sidelines while Los Blancos confirmed that Raphael Varane and Jesus Vallejo also missed the workout due to different fitness problems.

The potential absence of the four players through injury will be a major blow for Zinedine Zidane with Dani Carvajal, Casemiro and Sergio Ramos also ruled out to face the Andalucian side due to suspension.

Bale returned to action following more than two months on the sidelines during last week's Copa del Rey clash against Fuenlabrada, coming off the bench in the 62<sup>nd minute to help Real to secure a 2-2 draw to progress to the last 16 of the competition.

However, the former Tottenham Hotspur star has missed the clashes with Athletic Club Bilbao and Borussia Dormund after suffering a new setback during the Copa del Rey clash.

Last week Zidane said that Bale could be back in contention as soon as this week after pointing out that he it was only a minor problem in calf.

But his availability for Saturday's visit of Sevilla looks uncertain with the Welshman yet to re-join the group in training only two days before the game.

Varane is also expected to miss the game with the Eduardo Berizzo's side after being forced off in the 38<sup>th minute of the Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Vallejo was unavailable for the clash with Dortmund and is also a major a doubt to face Sevilla after the Spanish starlet also missed the Thursday's workout.

Carvajal also trained on his own but the right-back, Casemiro and Ramos will miss the visit of the Andalucian side anyway due to suspension.

"The squad completed the third session of the week at Real Madrid City and began preparing for the league match against Sevilla, which will be played this Saturday at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium (4:15pm CET). Ball work was key in a session that saw the players who played the most against Borussia Dortmund train at a lower intensely. Carvajal, Varane and Vallejo worked inside the facilities," the club confirmed.

"Zidane called up Tejero, Quezada and Seoane from the Castilla squad and under-19s goalkeeper A Moha for the session which began with ball circulation and pressing before moving on to crossing and finishing, the session ended with games on reduced sized pitches. Luca and Gareth Bale continue with their recovery processes. Luca was out running alone on the pitch while the Welshman worked with and without the ball."

Real trail leaders Barcelona by eight points and the clash with Sevilla will come prior to the first El Clasico of La Liga on 23 December. Yet, between both league games, Los Blancos will travel to Abu Dhabi to play in the Fifa Club World Cup.