Bale plays better without Ronaldo - Villas-Boas

The former Tottenham boss feels the Wales international is only able to play his best football without the Portugal captain on the pitch - the player he says has been 2013's best

Former Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas feels Real Madrid star Gareth Bale has performed far better this season without Cristiano Ronaldo in the side.

The 24-year-old delivered some exceptional displays for los Blancos after initially struggling for fitness following his €100 million summer move, notching nine goals and six assists in 15 games in all competitions prior to the winter break.

Bale back for Real at Valencia

Gareth Bale could return for Real Madrid in Sunday's La Liga fixture away to managerless Valencia.

The Wales international missed Wednesday's cup win over Olimpic Xativa through injury but is in contention for a starting place as the Spanish league returns.

Anything less than a win risks Real slipping further off the pace of La Liga leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, who share a five point advantage at the top of the table.

Ramsey on the same level as Bale, says Coleman

The Wales boss believes that the Arsenal midfielder's "brilliant" form puts him at a similar standard to that set by the Real Madrid winger.

Wales manager Chris Coleman believes that Aaron Ramsey's current displays for Arsenal put the midfielder on the same level as Gareth Bale.

The 22-year-old has scored 15 goals in 22 appearances for Arsene Wenger's side this season as the Gunners sit at the top of the Premier League and are on course to secure qualification for the knockout stage of the Champions League.

"When you see what he is doing at the minute then why would you not say he is at a similar level [to Bale]?" Coleman told Sky Sports.

Gareth Bale praises Cristiano Ronaldo and other team-mates after first Real Madrid hat-trick

The former Tottenham man was in scintillating form as he put Valladolid to the sword with three goals and a brilliant assist.

Real Madrid star Gareth Bale was full of praise for his teammates following his first hat-trick for the Spanish giants, while reiterating his belief that Cristiano Ronaldo is the world's greatest.

The world's most expensive player scored three times as Los Blancos beat Real Valladolid 4-0, while his exquisite pass picked out Karim Benzema for Madrid's other goal.

Real Madrid hat-trick is a dream come true, says Bale

The Welshman was ecstatic at registering his first treble for the Spanish giants and attributed his progress to learning from Cristiano Ronaldo

Gareth Bale admitted he had realised a dream after scoring his first hat-trick for Real Madrid against Valladolid on Saturday.

The Wales international's form in front of goal has been exceptional since his return to full fitness, with the €100 million man notching seven goals and six assists in nine Liga matches, and he pinned his impressive return on the opportunity to train every day alongside Cristiano Ronaldo - the man he insists deserves this year's Ballon d'Or.

Gareth Bale vows to wow Real Madrid fans as he hits full fitness in Spain

His words will strike fear in the hearts of defenders across Spain as he says his partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo is blossoming.

Gareth Bale believes he can up his game even further as he gets close to full fitness for the first time since his big-money move to Real Madrid.

The highly-rated Welshman joined the Spanish giants from Tottenham in the summer for a deal believed to be worth around £85million. The north London side paid roughly £10million for him back in 2007.

Bale: My best is yet to come for Real Madrid

Gareth Bale is ready to show Real Madrid fans why the club paid a world-record fee for him after returning to full fitness.

The Wales international has endured a frustrating start to his career at the Bernabeu after being troubled by injuries since his big-money move to Spain.

However, Bale has scored three goals in his last four games for Carlo Ancelotti's side and the former Tottenham man is ready to kick on after the international break.

We are relieved Ozil won't be playing for Real Madrid, says Adriano

The Barcelona defender is happy that the German will not be involved in the Clasico following his move to Arsenal on deadline day but expects Gareth Bale to come good.

Barcelona defender Adriano admits that he is relieved that Mesut Ozil will not be involved in Saturday's Clasico clash with Real Madrid at Camp Nou.

Ozil impressed in recent fixtures between Spain's big two and the playmaker's understanding with Cristiano Ronaldo proved particularly problematic for the Catalan club over the last two seasons but the German was surprisingly sold to Arsenal right at the end of the transfer window and will play no part this time around.

Real Madrid Projected Lineup for El Clásico

Like it or not, Ancelotti will likely have to pick a good defensive team to play against Barcelona. As he stated in his press conference, it's very difficult to keep the ball away from Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and company, so it could be better for Real Madrid to turn into a counterattacking side.

Luckily enough for him, Ancelotti has recovered every single player in the roster with the exception of Xabi Alonso. It would have been great to have Xabi against Barcelona, but the Spanish midfielder will have to wait. Considering the team is playing well with the 4-3-3 formation, Ancelotti will likely deploy that formation again. Illarramendi and Khedira will be in the midfield with Luka Modric being the most creative player on Real's midfield. The Croatian player's ability to defend is better than Isco, so Ancelotti would be smart to start him.

Bale Could Start for Real Madrid in Clásico

The attention will understandably be on the newcomers Saturday as the Brazilian star Neymar and the Welsh wing Gareth Bale are set to play key roles in their first Barcelona-Real Madrid Clásico game. But while Neymar works his way into the Barcelona attack and Bale eases into the Madrid midfield, the long-running comparison between their top teammates, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, continues unabated.

The scoring of Messi and Ronaldo has driven the Clásico in recent years, and this season has been more of the same. Messi enters Saturday’s showdown with 12 goals in 11 games — a remarkable rate, yet one that still falls short of Ronaldo’s pace of 15 goals in 12 games.