Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane drops Gareth Bale for Sevilla clash?

Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has been left out of the squad to face Sevilla on Saturday afternoon.

Due to a chest infection, Bale missed out on last week's trip to Saudi Arabia for the Supercopa de Espana, which Real won with victories over Valencia and Atletico Madrid.

Having trained with the rest of the squad this week, the 30-year-old had been expected to feature in the 18-man group for the meeting at the Bernabeu.

However, according to AS, Bale will play no part of the clash, with Los Blancos allegedly stating that the attacker was fit for selection.

While the omission may be due to Zinedine Zidane preferring to ease the player back into action, speculation will inevitably intensify regarding his long-term future.