Real Madrid are better when Gareth Bale plays – Zidane

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Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane says they are a better side when injured forward Gareth Bale plays.

Bale, 27, came off with a calf injury after 39 minutes in Real’s 3-2 El Clasico defeat by Barcelona in April.

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Real beat city rivals Atletico Madrid on aggregate on Wednesday to reach the Champions League final for a second successive season.

“He’s recovering and there’s time for him to be ready for the final,” Zidane told the Real Madrid website.

“I hope he’s ready before and I hope he can be with us more than anything. We’re a better team when he plays.”

It is the second injury Bale has sustained this season after he was ruled out for four months when he hurt his ankle in Real’s 2-1 Champions League win at Sporting Lisbon in November.