Real Madrid: Gareth Bale will miss the Supercup Final

Real Madrid star forward Gareth Bale missed the Supercup semifinal against Valencia with an upper respiratory tract infection, and he won’t be able to make the final against either FC Barcelona or Atletico Madrid either.

Even without forwards Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard, and Gareth Bale, Real Madrid ran rampant in the semifinals of the Spanish Supercup in Saudi Arabia. Zinedine Zidane went with midfield-heavy squad that controlled possession, dominated the passing game, and scored three goals via their standout midfield trio of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Isco.

All three goals were pretty, particularly Kroos’ “Olympic goal”, as Real played fluid football in a 3-0 win over Valencia.

Real Madrid will face a more difficult challenge on Sunday night against either FC Barcelona or Atletico Madrid. Presumably, Barcelona will pick up the win, setting up a second matchup against La Blaugrana. Los Blancos previously outplayed them in December at Camp Nou but were unable to find a goal in a 0-0 result.

Bale missed the Supercup semifinal against Valencia with an upper respiratory infection, and he’ll also be unable to play on Sunday in the final.

Zidane confirmed Bale’s absence on Sunday at a press conference. Benzema is also expected to be out until either the Sevilla or Real Valladolid matchup due to a hamstring contusion.

Hopefully, Bale can recovery from his illness soon. However, it’s not a big deal for him to be absent in the final, since it gives younger players a chance to shine. Brahim Diaz was on the bench for Real’s win over Valencia, and Mariano Diaz got his first minutes of action this season as a substitute amidst rumors that a loan deal is forthcoming for the talented striker.

Bale will get a chance to rest up, as Real Madrid have a much bigger matchup next weekend against Sevilla, whom they beat 1-0 at the Sanchez Pizjuan in September. Sevilla will give Real everything the have, so Bale will need to be at his best by then.