Gary Lineker warns Liverpool against Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale

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Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool will face Real Madrid in the Champions League this weekend.

Gary Lineker has told The Times that Liverpool will be happy if Real Madrid star Gareth Bale does not start this weekend.

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona striker rates Bale highly, and has stated that Liverpool will be pleased if Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane keeps the Wales international on the substitutes’ bench for the Champions League final at the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex in Kiev on Saturday evening.

Bale, who has been on the books of Madrid since the summer of 2013 when he joined from Tottenham, has made 26 appearances in La Liga and three starts in the Championship this season, according to WhoScored, largely due to injury concerns.

Lineker told The Times: “If you get the best Gareth Bale on the pitch you’d want him in your starting line-up all day long. If he doesn’t start, I think Liverpool will be happy, because he’s a bloody handful.

“He’s powerful, quick, strong, he can score goals from everywhere. And there’s no better shop window than the Champions League final, that’s for certain.”

Start or substitute?

Bale is a very good player who has scored in the Champions League final before, and the former Spurs winger will be relishing the chance to play against Liverpool.

Madrid, though, have done well without Bale in their starting lineup in the Champions League, and Zidane could well decide to keep the former Southampton star on the substitutes’ bench at the start.

After all, with Cristiano Ronaldo in superb form and banging in the goals for fun, Madrid can afford to save Bale until the final 30 or so minutes of the Champions League final.