Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao preview - Ronaldo injury scare for Real

Posted Saturday, October 04, 2014 by PA

Cristiano Ronaldo could be doubtful for Real Madrid's Primera Division clash against Athletic Bilbao at the Bernabeu on Sunday.

The world player of the year suffered a painful kick to the back of the leg in Wednesday's Champions League victory over Ludogorets in Sofia.

Ronaldo, who scored and missed a penalty against the Bulgarian side, did not play a part in full training on Friday but did run alone as he looked to prove his fitness.

Gareth Bale also missed coach Carlo Ancelotti's latest session for an unspecified reason but did train indoors.

A statement on realmadrid.com read: "Ancelotti placed an emphasis on working with the ball in a training session that saw Cristiano Ronaldo do running alone on the pitch at Ciudad Real Madrid.

"Bale and (Fabio) Coentrao did work indoors at Madrid's training facilities, while Jese and (Sami) Khedira continue with their recovery processes."

Real were given a scare in midweek as they fell behind early to Ludogorets and only secured victory, 2-1, with a 77th-minute strike from substitute Karim Benzema.

Their form domestically, however, has been in impressive with 15 goals scored in the process of winning their last three games in succession.

Their recent record against Bilbao is also heavily in their favour.

Los Blancos have won their last nine games against the Basque outfit, scoring 33 goals and conceding nine.

They are fifth in the Primera Division ahead of this weekend's action, four points behind leaders Barcelona, while Los Leones are 16th with just four points from their six games.

Athletic have also made a frustrating start in the Champions League and were beaten at BATE Borisov in midweek.

Coach Ernesto Valverde accepts it has been a difficult spell for his team.

Speaking after the 2-1 loss in Belarus, Valverde said: "Previously I wasn't happy with our displays, but I was okay with our attitude. Now I'm concerned with both.

"We still have chances to progress out of the group, but it's impossible with a display like this. This is a bad period for us."