Bale a doubt for Champions League semis with calf injury

Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale is reportedly set
for three weeks on the sidelines after the club
confirmed he sustained a calf injury in the Clasico
defeat to Barcelona.
Bale missed Madrid's recent games with Sporting
Gijon and Bayern Munich due to a muscular
problem, but somewhat surprisingly featured from
the start at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.
However, coach Zinedine Zidane was forced to
replace the winger shortly before half-time with an
apparent recurrence of a calf problem.
The Wales international now appears to be a doubt
for both legs of Madrid's Champions League semi-
final tie with city rivals Atletico Madrid.
Zidane, though, insisted Bale was fully fit to play in
the 3-2 loss to Barca.
The Frenchman told a media conference ahead of
Wednesday's clash with Deportivo La Coruna:
"Bale was 100 per cent. He told me he was at 100
per cent, that the two training sessions before the
game were perfect. We cannot avoid this
happening.
"Injuries happen, it is part of a player’s life, nobody
can do anything about that."
"I hope he is back before the end of the season.
It's grade two [the severity of the injury], yes. But
the doctors tell me it's a small thing. I trust the
staff here."
Madrid's loss to Barca saw them drop to second in
the table behind their arch-rivals due to an inferior
head-to-head record, though Zidane's men do have
a game in hand.