New Gareth Bale injury 'a strain, nothing important' but a concern for Real Madrid and Wales nonetheless

Gareth Bale looks set to miss Real Madrid's Primera Liga clash with Espanyol on Sunday, sparking fears he could also miss out on two crucial World Cup qualifiers for Wales next week. Bale limped off with a calf strain after scoring and providing an assist for Cristiano Ronaldo as Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 in the Uefa Champions League on Wednesday. "We will see tomorrow. It is a strain, nothing important but, as always, we don't like to take risks when a player has a small issue," Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane said on Saturday. Wales are battling for a play-off place as they lie second in European World Cup qualifying Group D, but just a point ahead of the Republic of Ireland with two qualifiers remaining. __________________________________________ __________________________________________ Chris Coleman's side travel to Georgia on October 6 before hosting Ireland in Cardiff three days later. "We will see tomorrow if he is with us, then he will go with his national team, if he has to go with his national team," Zidane said. "I don't think there is a problem between Madrid and his national team. It depends on his state of fitness, we will see day-by-day."

New Gareth Bale injury 'a strain, nothing important' but a concern for Real Madrid and Wales nonetheless

Forward limped out of Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund and is now a doubt for Espanyol and World Cup qualifiers