Gareth Bale will not be reunited with Tottenham in the Champions League after being left out of Real Madrid’s travelling squad for Wednesday’s game at Wembley.
The Welsh forward returned to training with the Spanish giants on Monday but has failed to overcome a calf injury in time to be included in the 19-man squad that will travel to London to face Spurs.
Bale had been eagerly awaiting a reunion with Tottenham, with whom he played for six years before joining Madrid for a then-world record £85.1million.
“I have a lot of great memories from my time there; some not so great as well but it was a big part of my journey,” he said last month.
Real Madrid squad in full
Goalkeepers: Kiko Casilla, Moha
Defenders: Jesus Vallejo, Sergio Ramos, Nacho, Marcelo, Theo, Achraf
Midfielders: Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Casemiro, Marcos Llorente, Marco Asensio, Isco, Dani Ceballos
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Lucas Vazquez, Borja Mayoral
“I love the club and still keep in touch with a lot of people there and the fans were incredible. I really enjoyed playing in those big European nights at White Hart Lane.”
Bale is not the only major injury concern for Real Madrid, who will be without first-choice goalkeeper Keylor Navas (abductor) and centre-back Raphael Varane (muscle injury).
Long-term absentees Mateo Kovacic and Dani Carvajal both missed the first meeting between the two sides and have not recovered over the last fortnight.
Playmaker Isco will be available for the tie having picked up a thigh problem during Madrid’s shock 2-1 La Liga defeat away to Girona.
