Real Madrid have an intense eight days ahead of them as they prepare to take on Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday before their Clasico against Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.
The fixtures have come at an interesting time for Real who conceded twice against Celta Vigo in the La Liga in their last game. The return of Eden Hazard from injury has only added to the work of manager Zinedine Zidane, because he has to now consider both Hazard and the out-of-favour Gareth Bale while planning for City and Barca.
Hazard made his first appearance since November 27 against Celta Vigo last weekend, winning a penalty in the second half and showing flashes of his old self.
"We're happy to have him back for what did during his 70 minutes – we know what he can give us," Zidane had said. "He played longer than expected because after three months out, we didn't want to go overboard.
"He brought a lot of attacking intent, especially for the second goal, so we're delighted to have him with us again."
Meanwhile, Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro said football fans need to appreciate Bale more and stop focusing on what he does away from the field.
"I'm a defender of Bale, he's an incredible player," Casemiro told radio station Onda Cero.
"People only talk about the bad things he does off the pitch, but they don't talk about what he does well, like the goals he scored in finals that won us trophies."
