Gareth Bale AXED from Real Madrid squad for Champions League clash with Man City

Gareth Bale AXED from Real Madrid squad for crunch Champions League clash with Man City as Zinedine Zidane makes no room for Welshman in 24-man travelling party

  • Real Madrid have revealed their 24-man squad to face Manchester City 
  • Gareth Bale has not been included among the travelling party for the match 
  • The Welshman’s time with the Spanish champions looks to be coming to an end 
  • Mariano Diaz, who tested positive for covid-19, is also omitted from the squad 

Gareth Bale has once again been snubbed by Zinedine Zidane, who has refused to make room for him in Real Madrid’s 24-man squad.

Madrid are gearing up for their most important match of the season, as they bid to overcome a 2-1 deficit against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and progress in the delayed Champions League latter stages.

Madrid are set to fly into Manchester to conclude their round of 16 clash on Friday, with the reigning Spanish champions needing to score at least twice, as things stand.

Gareth Bale has been snubbed from Real Madrid’s Champions League squad to face Man City

Yet Zidane has opted against taking additional firepower in the form of Bale, which appears to be another nail in the coffin that is Bale’s career at the Bernabeu.

Madrid announced their 24-man squad on Wednesday, with the likes of Eden Hazard, Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema leading the forward line.

Mariano Diaz, who recently tested positive for covid-19, has also been omitted from the squad.

The news, which is not unexpected, comes after Bale was largely snubbed for the conclusion of the La Liga season.

Bale had a difficult season's end and was criticised in the press for fooling around on the bench

Bale had a difficult season’s end and was criticised in the press for fooling around on the bench

In another match the overlooked Welshman appeared to be snoozing with a mask over his face

In another match the overlooked Welshman appeared to be snoozing with a mask over his face

With Madrid hunting down the title from arch rivals Barcelona, Zidane opted to keep Bale on the sidelines while his team-mates completed the job.

This, in turn, led to a series of awkward events included Bale being heavily criticised by the Spanish media for appearing disinteresting and fooling about on the substitutes bench.

During one match Bale was seen making a binoculars gesture, believed to be a dig at the press constantly watching his every move. 

During another match, in which Zidane used up the full run of his subs, Bale was seen smirking on the sidelines after appearing to have been purposely overlooked. 

A week later, Bale was snapped with his feet up in the stands as the subs sat apart to practice social distancing, with his face masked pulled up over his eyes as though he was taking a snooze. 

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