Gareth Bale to miss Real Madrid's Champions League clash against Tottenham, Raphael Varane doubtful

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has confirmed star forward Gareth Bale is "following his recovery program", which could force him to miss the Champions League clash against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on Wednesday (1 November).

The Welsh international last featured for the La Liga winners in their 3-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund on 26 September. He scored a goal and registered an assist against the Bundesliga outfit, but was withdrawn in the final quarter of the match at the Signal Iduna Park due to an injury.

Bale suffered a calf strain against Dortmund and missed Wales' World Cup qualifiers in October. He has been on the sidelines since then and is yet to make a comeback.

Real suffered a 2-1 defeat to Girona in the league on Sunday (29 October) and Zidane admitted after the match that he is unaware about when the 28-year-old will return.

"He's following his recovery program," Zidane said when asked about Bale, as quoted by Real's official website.

"After a game that you lose, you can't be happy. Today was a bad day, but we'll go home, rest and lift ourselves back up again. I have a group of players that are going to be ready on Wednesday," he added.

The former Tottenham star has been training alone and is yet to join his teammates in full training sessions. According to the Daily Mail, Bale will not feature in the Champions League clash against the north London club this midweek.

Meanwhile, Zidane is sweating on Raphael Varane's fitness ahead of the trip to London. The France international was replaced by Nacho in the heart of the back-four during half-time against Girona.

Varane is reportedly suffering from muscle discomfort in his right leg, according to the Spanish newspaper Marca. The incident took place just before the break and AS reports that the full extent of the injury is yet to be determined. The same report also claims that the 24-year-old defender is doubtful for the clash against Mauricio Pochettino's side on Wednesday.