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WAITING GAME

Gareth Bale misses Wales training and remains a doubt to face Spain in Cardiff

The Real Madrid forward limped off against Alaves at the weekend but has travelled to meet up with Ryan Giggs' squad

WALES face an anxious wait to see if Gareth Bale will be fit to face Spain on Thursday.

The Real Madrid ace joined up with Ryan Giggs’ squad in Cardiff on Sunday but missed training this morning as he has his groin injury assessed.

 Wales face an anxious wait to see if Gareth Bale will be fit to face Spain
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Wales face an anxious wait to see if Gareth Bale will be fit to face SpainCredit: Reuters
 The Real Madrid star limped off in the 1-0 defeat to Alaves at the weekend
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The Real Madrid star limped off in the 1-0 defeat to Alaves at the weekendCredit: Getty Images - Getty

Bale, 29, limped off in the closing stages of Real’s 1-0 La Liga defeat to Alaves on Saturday but still travelled to Wales.

But it remains to be seen whether he plays or not against several of his club team-mates including Sergio Ramos.

Wales are monitoring Bale on a daily basis and Giggs will not take any risks on his talisman with a Nations League clash against the Republic of Ireland to come next Tuesday.

Giggs spoke about Bale's fitness last week: "Sometimes it's not easy, especially for the likes of Gareth.

 Ryan Giggs will be desperate to have his star player fit for the upcoming matches
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Ryan Giggs will be desperate to have his star player fit for the upcoming matchesCredit: Reuters
 Bale scored a wondergoal in the 4-1 win over Ireland in September
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Bale scored a wondergoal in the 4-1 win over Ireland in SeptemberCredit: PA:Press Association
Real Madrid star Gareth Bale speaks of admiration for Dustin Johnston’s ability at driving ahead of FedEx Cup

"They are in the middle of the Champions League, so there's a midweek game, and at Real Madrid you have to win every game.

"It's just getting that balance right, how many minutes he plays, whether he misses a game, and what's best for us and Real. Obviously, ideally I want him to play every minute of every game.

"We do a lot of work between camps logging the minutes certain players have played. Then we are trying to get it right regarding training and game time."

Regardless of his fitness, Wales plan to honour Bale with a ‘Golden Boot’ award ahead of Thursday’s friendly to mark his record 30 goals for his country.

The Dragons return to the Principality Stadium for the first time in seven-and-a-half years after playing at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Giggs’ side then go to Dublin for the Nations League game five days later.

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