Real Madrid take on Villarreal at home this evening in La Liga hoping to keep the pressure on Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid and stay in the fight for the title.
Earlier on in the season these two drew 2-2 at El Madrigal, with Gareth Bale scoring on his debut. And the Madrid press turns its focus on the Welshman again today as they expect him to step up and replace the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo.
Both Marca and AS have been running stories in recent weeks about Bale’s injury struggles this campaign. This hasn’t helped a growing number of Los Blancos fans unhappy with the 24-year-old as they had expected more from him.
But boss Carlo Ancelotti has reassured them on many occasions this week that the Wales star has been training and is fully prepared for today’s game. He insisted in his press conference yesterday that Bale didn’t play against Atletico on Wednesday night to ensure he comes into the game today fresh, particularly with Ronaldo suspended.
Much attention will also be on Jese, the in-form striker whose goals have caught the attention of Spain boss Vicente del Bosque. Fans of AS have also noticed how well the 20-year-old is playing, with two-thirds of readers polled by the newspaper saying he should go to the World Cup with Spain in the summer.
