Real Madrid Team Update: Gareth Bale And Ramos Declared Fit While James Rodriguez Remains Sidelined With Pepe

While James Rodriguez and Pepe remain sidelined ahead of the Madrid derby, captain Sergio Ramos has been declared fit along with Gareth Bale as Real Madrid travel to Vicente Calderon to take on Diego Simeone’s men.

Struggling to keep pace following a string of serious injuries, Bale and Sergio Ramosa return is likely to provide Rafael Benitez with some breathing room as he looks to select his starting eleven.

Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale have been given the medical all-clear

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As reported by AS, Benitez revealed that Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale are fit to play in the Madrid derby after having been cleared by the medical team. However, their position in the starting eleven is not guaranteed due to a lack of match fitness with the final decision likely to be made on the day of the match.

a Both players have been back in training and have the medical all-clear. As if they play in the starting line-up, we will make that decision tomorrow. Ia ve spoken with both players and of course they are anxious to participatea .

While Balea s return will relieve the pressure on Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez and Pepe remain sidelined and will not feature at Vicente Calderon.

a The idea was to have him (James) ready as soon as possible. Hea s not fita .

While Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema are expected to start the match along with Gareth Bale, it will be interesting to see if Benitez picks Mateo Kovacic ahead of Isco in the starting line-up. The Croatian international has made a strong claim for a starting position since moving from Inter Milan and could also eventually compete with Toni Kroos for a spot in the midfield.

a From my perspective, Ia d say hea s (Toni Kroos) physically and tactically in decent shape. Another factor is his decision making. The fact that we can have this Toni or Kovacic debate is good for me.a

Gareth Bale earlier took to Twitter to reveal that he was back in training as he concentrated upon making a come back against Atletico Madrid.