Zinedine Zidane reveals fresh injury blow for Gareth Bale

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has confirmed that Gareth Bale will be sidelined for this weekend's La Liga trip to Athletic Bilbao.

The Wales international made his long-awaited injury comeback against third-tier side Fuenlabrada, where he contributed an assist in the 2-2 draw.

However, the 28-year-old has been left out of the travelling squad for the trip to San Mames this weekend with Zidane revealing that the attacker has suffered a minor recurrence of his calf injury.

In a report covered by ESPN, he said: "It is nothing serious, it is just a niggle and, as always, we don't want to take any risks. As in many previous occasions, it is the calf."

Despite another setback, Zidane has stressed that Bale remains an integral part of the Real Madrid squad, and he is hoping for the Welshman to make a quick return to first-team action. 

Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema are expected to reclaim their positions upfront for the weekend game, and they will hope to improve on their meagre tally of just four goals in La Liga this term.