Gareth Bale is in line to start our Europa League match against Royal Antwerp on Thursday, with Jose Mourinho set to rotate his side following Monday night’s win at Burnley.
Assistant Head Coach Joao Sacramento confirmed today (Wednesday) that the Welsh international attacker is set for his second start and third appearance overall since returning to the Club on loan from Real Madrid last month.
He was an unused substitute at Turf Moor.
“I can tell you that we will make some changes but like in every previous match, the changes don’t mean that the team is weak,” said Joao ahead of our Group J, matchday two meeting in Belgium.
“We believe that with the squad that we have, even with rotation, the team will keep the level and the quality of play.
“Tomorrow, Gareth Bale will start. Gareth is improving a lot – in terms of fitness level, his condition is much, much better, he’s feeling better every day and with the interaction that we have with him, he’s feeling very positive and we believe that soon he will be at his top level again.”
Defender Japhet Tanganga is the only player out injured, while Gedson Fernandes, Paulo Gazzaniga and Joe Rodon are ineligible to feature in the group stage of the competition.