'I don't know when Bale will play'

The first question was related to the La Liga clash against Malaga:  "They're a team that don’t deserve to be where they are in the table. They play good football and have won two of the last three matches. We know it’ll be another difficult match and we’ll have to play very well."

He then spoke about Gareth Bale: "We know what he can give us. He’s very strong, powerful and technically good. He’s worked hard and has done very well in the matches he has played with this club.

"There's a lot of talk that he's injured, playing three games and then missing one. But he’s very important for us. He knows that, and I know it. I don’t know when he’ll play.

"I prefer to have Gareth available, obviously. He can give us his strength, he’s very good, fast, he's a crosser and works hard. He brings a lot to the team.

"The important thing for everyone and for his mood is that he is with us and that he starts playing. That can take away the negative things that could be around him," the French coach added.

He also spoke about Sergio Ramos and his possibility of playing: "You’ll see tomorrow if he plays, he’ll play when he’s ready. I'm not afraid of anything. If he can’t play, someone else will play and I’m sure they’ll do well."

Zidane was asked about the situation with Carvajal and his yellow card against APOEL, which is now the subject of a UEFA investigation: "I'm surprised at the fuss they're kicking up around this. Dani didn’t look for anything, it's just another thing and we’ll see what happens."

He was also full of praise over his side's defensive record: "Defensively the team is looking very good, we'll try to keep a clean sheet and score goals. I'm happy because it means we're doing well, not just the defenders, but the whole team."

For the Los Blancos coach, the 10 point gap between his side and league leaders Barcelona is not a cause for concern: "This is football. Casualties are part of the game, I don’t look for excuses.

"The 10 points are not just down to the injuries, it's a bit of everything and I'm responsible. We have to try to reduce the distance, we’re convinced we can do so. What has happened has happened and what we have to do is look forward."

He then continued to talk about Bale's recovery from injury: "This time it’ll take less to get him right. The second injury wasn’t a long one. We have to get Gareth back to 100%.

"I don’t think he needs a lot of time to re-find his form because he has already trained with us and he looks good to me."

On Marco Asensio, Zidane said: "We’re going to send out the medical report. It's nothing serious but he has something. It’s better to lose him for three or four days than to continue and make it worse."

He also addressed the clash between Valencia and Barcelona: I’m interested in our match, get the three points and then see what happens on Sunday in that game.

"Something will happen for sure. I didn’t imagine being 10 points behind. Every match is decisive. We're on the right track, we have a lot of energy and we’re positive. We have a disadvantage, but these games are going to be important."