Gareth Bale Comments on El Clasico 2016, Zinedine Zidane and More

By Rory Marsden

Gareth Bale has indicated he is not currently being used in his favoured position ahead of Real Madrid's meeting with Barcelona on Saturday for El Clasico.

The Welshman is enjoying one of his career-best seasons in 2015-16—he has netted 15 La Liga goals in 17 appearances, perWhoScored.com—but he said ahead of the Camp Nou clash that head coach Zinedine Zidane is not playing him in his best position, per Marca's Pablo Polo:

"Everybody knows I like to play centrally and to be able to move around, but obviously we're not playing that formation at the moment," Bale said.

He added that he enjoys being able to "drift in" if playing on the right but also noted that he doesn't "mind" his current position on the left.

If Los Blancos are to have any chance of winning La Liga this season, they must claim victory on Saturday, as they are 10 points back from first-placed Barca with only eight games remaining.

Despite the significant gap, Bale stressed that Real are still in the title race, per Marca (via the Independent):

I think everything is possible in football. We're 10 points behind, but we will keep fighting until it is impossible. We have to score there.

We know it will be difficult and we will have to be at 100 per cent. You have to attack them and, if we play our best football, we will win. 

On Saturday we can get to within seven points of them and you never know what might happen next.

The last time the two great rivals met, at the Santiago Bernabeu in November, Luis Enrique's superlative side thrashed Los Blancos 4-0—see highlights below:

Rafael Benitez has since departed as manager, and Zidane was appointed in his place. Bale suggested that the Frenchman had brought the team together since his instalment, per Polo:

"We want to work as a team, defend as a team and attack as a team. Maybe in the past we've not all been together as one."

The key to stopping Barcelona is to keep out their front three of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

That is easier said than done, and Bale hailed the trio's impact this season ahead of the Clasico, per Sport: "They are obviously great players, world-class players and they are doing very well at the moment. We know all about them and they know all about us. Come Saturday it will be a great game, I'm sure it will be one for everybody to enjoy and we'll try to make it as exciting as we can."

However, he also insisted that Real's own front three—consisting of himself, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema—are playing very well at the moment:

We have a great relationship on the pitch, we play very well together and it's not for us to judge if we are the best. I'm sure the media and other people will have their opinions but all we can do is go on the pitch, try to score goals, help the team and make the Madrid fans happy.

All six forwards are likely to play a key role at the home of the Catalan giants, and Real have a huge task on their hands in their attempt to end Barca's 39-match unbeaten run.

They will have taken some encouragement from Barca's last outing, though, when they let slip a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at Villarreal.

If Real can keep tight at the back, they will have their opportunities to score and could reinvigorate their title challenge with a victory at the Camp Nou.