Zinedine Zidane uncertain whether Gareth Bale will be back for Real Madrid trip to Tottenham

Gareth Bale, Dani Carvajal, Mateo Kovacic will remain on the sidelines when Real Madrid host Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night (17 October) with Zinedine Zidane refusing to confirm whether the Welshman will be back for the second leg to be played at Wembley on 1 November.

Meanwhile, Keylor Navas has recovered from a groin injury but Zidane did not confirm if the Costa Rica international will start ahead of Kiko Casilla in the Champions League clash.

Bale is yet to play a game since being forced off during the 3-1 Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund on 26 September.

Zidane suggested at the time that the Welshman was only going to be out of action for a few days after claiming that the substitution was only precautionary due to a minor cramp.

The former Tottenham star was indeed allowed to travel to join up with the Wales national team only days later ahead of crucial 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and the Republic of Ireland. However, Bale eventually missed both games after a further scan revealed that he had picked a new problem in his calf.

Even then, Real Madrid still appeared to suggest then that it was still a minor problem after saying that Bale had some "swelling but no tear" in his soleus muscle.

However, the Welshman will miss the coming visit of Tottenham and Zidane has suggested that he could even struggle to return in time for the second leg to be played against Spurs next month.

Long-term casualties Carvajal and Kovacic are also progressing well from the respective fitness issues but Zidane again refused to set a timeframe for their returns.

"I can't tell you the date they'll return. With Dani we have to wait, but every day is one less. He's really looking forward to coming back with us. Mateo needs more time, but he's getting better. Regarding Gareth, I can't tell you if he's going to be back for the second game. I hope he's back with us soon," Zidane said in the press conference ahead of the visit of Tottenham.

"We're going to play a lot of games, the season is very long. Three players are missing, but gradually things are returning to normal. During the season there'll always be difficult times, but lately we're winning and improving. That's good for everyone".

The Real Madrid boss provided better news regarding Navas though as the Los Blancos number one is in contention to play Tottenham after he missed the weekend's victory over Getafe due to a groin injury sustained while on international duty with Costa Rica.

Navas is tipped to recover his place in the starting line-up but Zidane opted not to disclose his plans.

"He's trained well, he's with us and has no problems. Tomorrow you'll see if he plays," the Real Madrid boss said when asked whether Navas will recover his place in the line-up.

Real Madrid will host Spurs days after their 2-1 victory over Getafe which saw the La Liga giants reduce the gap on Barcelona at the top of La Liga to five points, with the leaders being held to a draw at Atletico Madrid.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner as Karim Benzema returned to action following a month on the sidelines due to another muscle injury.

"It's down to everyone's hard work. We're always excited and want to compete well and were here to achieve things. We're back in Champions League action against a very good opponent and that motivates us more," Zidane said.

"It's always a test for us against every team. We now have two games against Tottenham. Tomorrow is the first group final. Both teams have the same points. It's going to be a good match for everyone who likes football and hopefully we get the three points".

Zidane expects Los Blancos to continue the good run on Tuesday night as they are currently level on points with Tottenham at the top of the Champions League Group H having won their opening two games.

Meanwhile, the Real Madrid boss praised Harry Kane but pointed out that Los Blancos will be making a mistake if they think that the England international is Spurs' only threat.

"Kane is a good player and things are going very well for him," Zidane added. "He's essential for Tottenham. He's good at everything and he's always thinking about the goal in everything that he does. He finds spaces and has speed, he's very complete. But Tottenham are not just about Kane and we're going to prepare for this game well".