Gareth Bale Eyes Return from Injury for Tottenham Hotspur vs. Real Madrid

Real Madrid star Gareth Bale is reportedly targeting a November 1 return from injury to face his former side Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium in the UEFA Champions League. 

Bale has been out of action with a calf injury since late September when he was substituted during Real's 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, but he returned to training on Thursday and is looking to prove his fitness to manager Zinedine Zidane, per Jose Luis Calderon in Marca.

Calderon added Sunday's game with Eibar in La Liga will prove too soon for the Welshman, but the away clash against Spurs is in his sights.

Real hosted the north London side at the Santiago Bernabeu in Champions League Group H on Tuesday and came away with a 1-1 draw, with Cristiano Ronaldo converting from the penalty spot after Los Blancos had gone behind through Raphael Varane's own goal.

Spurs and Real are locked on seven points at the top of the group standings, per the Champions League:

Barring a remarkable turnaround in the final three group-stage matches, both clubs are likely to advance to the knockout rounds.

However, the Wembley meeting between the two could be crucial in deciding who tops the group and earns a potentially easier draw in the last 16.

Bale will be desperate to turn out against the club he left for Madrid in 2013 for a then-world-record fee of £85 million.

And Zidane will be eager to have the former Southampton man available for such a crucial clash.

Even if Bale is fully fit before the trip to Spurs there is no guarantee he will start at Wembley.

But he would be a valuable option to have on the bench, especially if, like Tuesday, the game is all square heading into its final stages.