Florentino Perez: 'Gareth Bale to play this weekend'

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has revealed that Gareth Bale is "ready" to make his Santiago Bernabeu debut for the Spanish outfit this weekend.

The 24-year-old, who joined Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, has been dogged by injuries in the early stages of his career in Spain.

However, despite talks of a long-term problem, the Welshman could return to action on Saturday against Malaga.

"[He is] calm and ready, waiting to play on Saturday. Everyone knows that, because he didn't have a good pre-season, he suffered from muscle fatigue in the thigh," Perez told Punto Pelota.

"He is training well and wants to play and show that all this is just something over nothing. A big deal has been made out of something normal."

Madrid have recently been forced to deny that Bale is suffering from a slipped disc in his back.