Real's Bale substituted with suspected calf injury

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale limped off with an apparent calf strain early on in their La Liga game with Malaga on Saturday and could be a doubt for Wednesday's Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid.

(Reuters)

The Welshman went down clutching his left calf and he was replaced by Javier Hernandez after two minutes.

Bale, the world's most expensive player, scored crucial goals as Real won the Champions League and the King’s Cup last season but he has struggled during this campaign with fan criticism that he is too selfish on the ball.

He was rested for Real’s match last weekend with Eibar due to muscle fatigue but played in Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg at Atletico Madrid that finished 0-0.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti will be keen to have him available for the home second leg on Wednesday.

(Writing by Tim Hanlon; Editing by Mark Meadows; [e-mail]; [phone]; Reuters Messaging:; [e-mail])