Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has opted to leave Gareth Bale out of his 19-man squad to face Levante in La Liga this weekend.
The La Liga leaders head to the east coast to face Paco Lopez’s relegation battlers, ahead of their crunch Champions League clash with Manchester City in midweek.
Zidane declined to comment on the exact reason for Bale’s exclusion, although it is thought to be a precaution after the Welsh international picked up a stomach virus in recent days.
Serbian forward Luka Jovic has also been struggling with the same problem this week, whilst Rodrygo Goes has been left out completely, alongside Nacho Fernandez and Brahim Diaz.
Bale is expected to be fit for the visit of Pep Guardiola’s side, with ISco set to come in for him in Valencia.
REAL MADRID SQUAD V LEVANTE
GOALKEEPERS: Thibaut Courtois, Diego Altube, Alphonse Areola
DEFENDERS: Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Marcelo, Ferland Mendy
MIDFIELDERS: Luka Modric, Casemiro, Federico Valverde, Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez, Isco
FORWARDS: Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard, Lucas Vazquez, Vinicius Junior
