Wales and Real Madrid striker Gareth Bale will return to the pitch after serving a two-match suspension on Saturday. Bale was banned for two games as punishment for the red card he was shown during a clash against Las Palmas.
Bale was named in Zinedine Zidane’s 20-man squad for the trip to seventh-placed Athletic Bilbao. Victory will give Madrid five-point advantage over Barcelona.
Madrid took advantage of Barca’s surprise loss against Deportivo La Coruna with a win against Real Betis last weekend.
However, Athletic have the second best home record in the Spanish top flight, having won 10 and losing just one of their 13 league matches at San Mames this season.
“I don’t know if victory is enough to all but win us the league because there are many games to go, but they are three very important points for us,” Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane said. “We know we will suffer, but we are working hard, we are confident, we have personality and we will need all those ingredients to win there.”
