Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane trains ahead of Atletico Madrid but Gareth Bale remains out

Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane looks on course to return to action at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night (10 May) after completing Monday's training session with the rest of his available teammates. However, the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals will still come too early for Gareth Bale and Dani Carvajal as the duo continue their own recoveries.

Varane, 24, played the full 90 minutes during the first leg of the semi-finals at the Santiago Bernabeu last week, helping Los Blancos to secure a 3-0 advantage thanks to a hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, his availability for the reverse fixture came into question after Zinedine Zidane left the France international out of his squad for the weekend victory over Granada due to an injury.

"Varane felt something again but it's nothing serious, we just don't want to take any risks with a player who's feeling discomfort," Zidane revealed in the press conference ahead of the trip to Granada.

The France international has been hit by different muscular problems since the beginning of the season and had only returned last month from a long-term spell on the sidelines.

However, he took part in the Monday training session and so could be ready to lead the back-line alongside Sergio Ramos on Wednesday night.

"Real Madrid completed the first session of the week and began to prepare for the return leg of the Champions League semi-finals against Atletico, which will take place on Wednesday at the Vicente Calderon Stadium (8.45pm CEST). Ball work was the focus of the session," the club confirmed. "The Whites carried out possession and pressing exercises, ball circulation drills and different games on a reduced sized pitch. Carvajal and Bale continue with their recovery processes."

The potential return of Varane would give Zidane the option to use versatile Nacho in the right-back as he already did in the first-leg following Carvajal's injury. Yet, Danilo covered the role during the weekend's 4-0 win over Granada and is also available if the manager opts for a more offensive alternative.

Meanwhile, Zidane revealed last week that Pepe was also close to return to action but it is still uncertain whether the Portugal international will be ready to face Atletico Madrid – as he has been out of action since 8 April.

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