Bale Banishes Fitness Fears

Wales winger Gareth Bale took a full part in training on Monday, defying fears illness and an ankle problem would rule him out of the crucial World Cup qualifier against Croatia at the Liberty Stadium.

Bale was substituted at half-time in the 2-1 win over Scotland on Friday, sparking fears over his participation in the second qualifier on Tuesday.

But the Tottenham Hotspur man has handed his country a major boost by participating in training as Wales look to breathe new life into their qualifying campaign with back-to-back wins.

Goals from Aaron Ramsey, who misses the second match after being sent off against Scotland, and Hal Robson-Kanu sent Wales third in Group A, but with a seven-point defect to second placed Croatia, victory on Tuesday is crucial if Chris Coleman's side are to stand any chance of World Cup qualification.

Coleman's side proved they could cope without the Tottenham man in the win over Scotland, and captain Ashley Williams is confident they can repeat the trick again if required.

"Gareth is a massive player for us, we all know that, but we're not a one-man team and we saw a lot of people chipping in for this win," Williams said.

"We know Gareth is world class and we're pleased to have him as one of us.

"But we've got other weapons. We've got good players right through the team and a lot of them showed that. It's nice that even though we were without him in the second half, we still got the win and showed we can play."

Former Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric will be among those tasked with depriving Bale and other space on their home patch, but the Croatian is wary of focusing too much on the threat of an individual.

"Can we stop Gareth? We must, because these are three very important points," Modric said.

"The win against Serbia would ultimately mean a lot less if we do not beat Wales.

"One player can't win games by himself and we know that we will be up against a good team who will be roared on by a passionate home crowd."