All eyes on Bale as LaLiga action returns to the Bernabeu

Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus, coupled with Real Madrid's failure to replace him has left a vacancy for someone to grab the team by the throat and insist: "I am our new talisman."

Bale is the man who has been widely tipped as the favourite for that role, with the eye-watering fee paid for him back in 2013 a testament as to how highly he is rated in the Spanish capital.

Whilst the 'BBC' has now been disbanded, Bale has a chance to start afresh. The Welsman's brace in the Champions League final looked to be his parting gift to the club, but instead may be the boost in confidence he needed to be confident that he is the star that Real Madrid need right now, even if Neymar is the one they want.

With no international commitment for his country, Bale has been able to be involved in a full pre-season and the former Spurs man impressed with goals, assists and a desire to make things happen every time he received the ball.

One of Julen Lopetegui's first acts as Real Madrid manager was to tell Bale just how highly he rates him, something which appears to have seen his confidence skyrocket.

Whilst Madrid were defeated by City rivals Atletico in the UEFA Super Cup, Bale's individual performance was another strong showing as he popped up everywhere to probe for openings and laid on an assist for Karim Benzema.

If Bale is to replace Ronaldo's contribution in the Spanish capital he will need to contribute an awful lot of goals and assists over the course of the season, though his record of 88 strikes in 190 games of the course of his Real Madrid career suggest he is more than capable of doing so should he avoid injuries.

Getafe are up first in what seems like the perfect tie for Bale, who has scored four goals in five games against the 'Azulones'.