• Champions League

Bale could start against Liverpool

Gareth Bale has missed Real Madrid's last five matches with a lower-back muscle injury © Getty Images

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Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti says Gareth Bale is fit again but has not yet decided if he will start Tuesday's Champions League group game at home to Liverpool.

A lower-back muscle injury caused Bale to miss Madrid's last five games including the 3-0 win at Anfield a fortnight ago, but he returned to training with his team-mates on Sunday afternoon.

Madrid have hit top form over that spell, including a 3-1 win in El Clasico over Barcelona, and have now won their last 11 games in all competitions. This has led some pundits and fans around the Bernabeu to argue that the team is more balanced without the world-record signing.

Ancelotti - who has tried to dampen such talk by pointing out how important Bale was to the team's Champions League and Copa del Rey victories last season - told his pre-match press conference on Monday that Bale was likely to feature against Liverpool either from the start or the bench.

"Bale is back from his injury and is ready to play," said Ancelotti. "We have not yet decided if he will start the game, or come from the bench. I could rest some players who have played a lot of games recently. I will decide tomorrow."

Isco has shone in Bale's absence, and his performances have been such that he was even cheered from the pitch by opposition fans during Madrid's 4-0 win at Granada on Saturday.

"That [reception] means that Isco is playing very well," Ancelotti said. "He is a player with incredible technical quality. Anyone who loves football likes to see players like Isco. So I am not surprised by that, he deserves it."

Tuesday's game could also bring further accolades for Cristiano Ronaldo, who needs just one more goal to equal the Champions League all-time scoring mark of 71, which is currently held by former Madrid legend and New York Cosmos' latest signing Raul.

"Ronaldo is not thinking about the record," Ancelotti said. "This will not be his last game in the Champions League. He has time to do that, so he is really focused on working for the team, not about beating any record."

Ancelotti also agreed with a suggestion that Ronaldo - who has broken Isidro Langara's 79-year-old record for the most goals scored in the first 10 La Liga games of the season - was also showing a new unselfish side to his game this season.

"I believe it comes from the atmosphere within the team, where they all work for their team-mates," he said. "[Ronaldo] does that too. It is just like when [Karim] Benzema passes to Cristiano, or James [Rodriguez] to Cristiano. He also likes to pass to team-mates who are in a better position."

Former Liverpool right-back Alvaro Arbeloa looks set to again face his old team, as Dani Carvajal picked up a hamstring problem against Granada which makes him a doubt for Spain's upcoming international games, Ancelotti revealed.

"Carvajal has had a small hamstring injury," he said. "He has done his tests this morning. I believe he will be back in about a week. We have the international break and will see about his recovery."

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