Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 6y

Bale, Varane train with Real Madrid ahead of Club World Cup

Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane and forward Gareth Bale could feature in the team's Club World Cup semifinal match on Wednesday.

Madrid arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, 24 hours after a thumping 5-0 La Liga win over Sevilla, and are preparing for Wednesday's CWC semifinal against hosts Al Jazira, who have already defeated New Zealand's Auckland City and Urawa Reds of Japan to make it this far.

Wales winger Bale (calf) and France defender Varane (thigh) missed the Sevilla game through injury, although afterwards coach Zinedine Zidane suggested they could both be fit for Wednesday's game.

Confirmation of their potential availability for Wednesday came in a club statement released after Zidane had put his players through their paces, however reporters present at the training on Monday saw that both Bale and Varane sat out the more intensive second part of the session.

"The Real Madrid squad have now completed their first training session in Abu Dhabi," read the statement. "The Whites took part in an evening workout at the New York University campus as their preparations for Wednesday's Club World Cup semifinal against Al Jazira, the United Arab Emirates champions (6 p.m. CET, 9 p.m. local time), got under way.

"Zinedine Zidane worked with all 24 of the players who have travelled to Abu Dhabi. Ball work took centre stage in a session which featured running drills and control and passing exercises before the madridistas split into two teams to work on possession and pressure.

"The Whites then contested various matches on reduced-sized pitches and also worked on shots on goal. Michel Salgado dropped in on training and chatted with the players."

Dubai-based former Madrid defender Salgado has spoken to ESPN about Los Blancos' chances at the competition, saying success in the Gulf nation could be just the boost required ahead of their must-win La Liga Clasico against Barcelona on Dec. 23.

Blancos club captain Sergio Ramos is a doubt for Wednesday after picking up an apparent calf issue in Monday's session. He told the club's website that the current side felt they were in good form at the moment as they looked to add a fifth trophy of the current calendar year at the annual tournament.

"We were really looking forward getting here," Ramos said. "Being here is a prize, we have the opportunity to defend this title and win it again. Now we have to adapt after the journey and fight to win our sixth Club World Cup. We're going in it really enthusiastically and with a real desire to take part.

"It's an opportunity to win another trophy for our fans. We're really motivated after a great game against Sevilla and we're on a good run at the moment. We must now look to maintain this balance and consistency."

^ Back to Top ^