Gareth Bale’s frustrating start to life at Real Madrid continues after it was confirmed he will miss tonight’s match against FC Copenhagen with a recurrence of a thigh injury.
The forward missed the match with Getafe after pulling up with the injury in the warm up. He recovered to make his home debut at the weekend but Los Blancos lost 1-0 to Atletico de Madrid – their first La Liga loss to their city rivals since 1999.
The defeat left Real five points off their rivals in the league as both Atletico and Barcelona have made 100% starts, winning their first seven matches. Ancelotti told the press ahead of the match with Copenhagen that he expects his team to respond, but will have to do so without the presence of the 91 million euro summer signing Bale.
The Italian boss said:”I’m less happy after the game against Atletico because it wasn’t good, losing a derby is never a good thing. We need to react quickly, both in terms of our performance and results. I have confidence in the players that they will respond well. It is a question of spirit and attitude.”
He added: “Gareth Bale has not trained with the group due to muscular problems in his left thigh,” said a statement on the club’s official website. “The diagnosis is dependent upon tests which will be carried out tomorrow.”
