Real Madrid vs Sevilla. Spanish La Liga.
Santiago BernabeuAttendance66,456.
Sunday 14 May 2017 19:31, UK
Injury has ruled Gareth Bale out of Real Madrid's La Liga clash at home to Sevilla on Sunday, live on Sky Sports 3 HD from 6.30pm, and he looks set to miss the remainder of the league season.
Bale has endured his longest spell on the sidelines in his fourth campaign with Real and faces a race to get fit for the Champions League final against Juventus on June 3 in his hometown of Cardiff.
The forward has been limited to 17 league starts this season due to a serious ankle injury and repeated muscle problems and was absent from training the day before Real's final home game of the season against Sevilla.
He is still recovering from a calf tear sustained against Barcelona on April 23.
"He's still training indoors, with some discomfort," Zidane told a news conference.
"We have to take it day by day but for now he's not with us and I don't know when he will be, but I hope it's soon."
Real are locked on 84 points with Barcelona at the top of the table but are currently second due to an inferior head-to-head record.
They have a game in hand, however, which is against Celta Vigo on Wednesday and seven points from their final three matches will see them lift a first title since 2012.
Sevilla ended Real's 40-game unbeaten run earlier in the season with a 2-1 win but they have gone off the boil since then, winning three of their last 10 matches.
Zidane still urged his side to take no chances on Sunday.
"It's another chance to pick up points and continue on the great path we are on," added the Frenchman.
He could become the first Real coach to lead the Spanish giants to a league title and European Cup in the same season since 1958, after his side saw off Atletico Madrid in their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
"It's a game (v Sevilla) that's just as decisive as the others we have left and we're going to do everything to get the three points," Zidane said.
"We have a better chance than ever (to do the double), four games to win the league and Champions League, but we still haven't won anything, we have to continue on the same path and keep working.
"We're in this position because of how we've worked all season but we want to keep working and think about what we have left to do. The hardest part is still to come."
Gabriel Mercado hopes to ruin Madrid's title aspirations as he aims for maximum points from Sevilla's two remaining fixtures.
Argentinian defender Mercado, who was an unused substitute when Sevilla ended Real's unbeaten league record in January, believes his side are capable of causing another upset to complete a memorable double.
"We played well against them this season so we've got a chance," the 30-year-old told Sevilla's official website.
"It's up to us to be confident and sure in ourselves, and have to desire to play well against them to give ourselves a chance of winning.
"We'll go there with everything we've got and we'll fight to produce a good performance to finish the season strongly."
Fourth-placed Sevilla are almost guaranteed to qualify for next season's Champions League through their league position, although they need one more point to make mathematically certain.
