Bale dropped as Real Madrid take on Ajax

Gareth Bale was back on the bench for Real Madrid's crunch game at home to Ajax in the second leg of the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday.

Bale had started the defeat to Barcelona in La Liga on Saturday but the Welshman departed to whistles in the second half and was dropped for the return against Ajax, with Madrid 2-1 ahead from the first leg.

Isco came on against Barca but was not even named on the bench while Marcelo was again named as a substitute, Sergio Reguilon preferred at left-back.

Ajax started with an unchanged side from the opening leg, with Frenkie de Jong set to play at the Santiago Bernabeu for the first time. De Jong will join Barcelona in the summer.

Real Madrid (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Nacho, Sergio Reguilon; Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Luka Modric; Lucas Vazquez, Karim Benzema (capt), Vinicius Junior

Coach: Santiago Solari (ARG)

Ajax (4-5-1): Andre Onana; Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt (capt), Daley Blind, Nicolas Tagliafico; Lasse Schone, Donny van de Beek, Frenkie de Jong, Hakim Ziyech, David Neres; Dusan Tadic

Coach: Erik ten Hag (NED)

Referee: Felix Brych (GER)