Bale set for surgery and lengthy spell on sidelines

Real Madrid released an official announcement early on Thursday confirming Gareth Bale will undergo surgery. A few days later, they take on Borussia Dortmund in their final Champions League group stage game.

Gareth Bale down injured during Real Madrid’s clash with Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday night in the Portuguese capital.

Madrid have confirmed the 27-year-old will undergo surgery next Tuesday at the King Edward VII Hospital in London.

An ankle tendon injury sustained against Sporting CP on Tuesday will keep Gareth Bale out of El Clasico, with the former Tottenham Hotspur man also potentially needing reparative surgery on the damage.

It means he will not play again in 2016 and will miss both the derby match against away to FC Barcelona on December 3 and the World Club Championships in the middle of December.

He could miss up to seven games if he is out for three weeks. And with a string of injuries to key players such as Luka Modric, Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Ramos, Alvaro Morata, Keylor Navas and more this campaign, others have come in and played their part.

Bale has emerged as one of the focal points of Real Madrid’s team and, some say, even their best player this season. He has scored 5 goals in 11 appearances in La Liga, only missing the game against Espanyol.

Leicester’s success saw the Foxes advance as Group G winners in their maiden season in the event, giving a major fillip to Claudio Ranieri’s side, who are just two points above the domestic drop zone. Los Blancos are now on top of the La Liga table with 12 games played and have a healthy 4 point lead over arch rivals Barcelona.