Real Madrid Team News: Bale and three others to miss El Clasico, Kroos returns to training

Real Madrid will be missing a quartet of injured players, as they travel to Camp Nou to take on the eternal enemy Barcelona

Los Blancos are currently sitting comfortably at the top of the La Liga table, six points clear of rivals Barcelona. However, they will be missing one of their big players for the big game, with Welsh forward Gareth Bale still recovering from an ankle operation.

The two Portuguese full-backs Danilo and Fabio Coentrao are also out with injury. Spanish striker Alvaro Morata is the fourth member of the quartet of the walking wounded at Real. A positive injury update is that German midfielder Toni Kroos took part in training ahead of the game, according to the official club website.

Kroos seems to have recovered from the foot injury he suffered in early November. Manager Zinedine Zidane may not want to hand him his first start since recovering in the hard fought, tenacious battle that is El Clasico.

Zidane has been resting some of his key players in the week leading up to the big game. The Brazilian duo of Marcelo and Casemiro sat out their win against Sporting Gijon last week, while a number of stars were given time off in the Copa del Rey game against Cultural Leonesa in mid-week.

Real Madrid will field a strong starting XI against Barca, even though the likes of Bale and Morata will be missed. Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema are the two star forwards, while young academy product Lucas Vasquez is in line to become the third spike in the attacking trident after some impressive performances under Zidane.

Luka Modric is a sure-shot starter, while Toni Kroos may be used in a substitute role because of his recent return from injury. In this case, Spaniard Isco could start alongside the Croatian maestro Modric, with Casemiro sitting behind the pair in a defensive midfield role.

Marcelo will play at left-back, while Spaniard Dani Carvajal is most likely to start at right-back. The granitic central defensive duo of Sergio Ramos and Pepe have the experience of many Clasicos behind them, and they should be the first picks for Zidane.

Barring any unforseen occurrence, Costa Rican keeper Keylor Navas is set to start in goal for Los Blancos.