Gareth Bale can feel a little hard done by after remaining an unused substitute for the third straight game.

The Welshman has largely struggled with injury this season, making only three club appearances to date.

And while it’s clear he is not at the standard he once was, he should have been given an opportunity on Sunday night.

As it turned out, Real Madrid were victorious anyway, and that’s the best they could have asked for in the absence of two top scorers Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior.

But it should have been an opportunity for Bale to show what he can do between now and the end of the season.

With Luka Jovic not quite match fit, Ancelotti made the strange decision to play Isco Alarcon up front, despite the fact the Spain international hasn’t got much experience playing there at all.

It begs the question why Bale wasn’t given the opportunity to play there, given he has a plethora of experience playing the role with Wales.

Bale is a bigger unit who could have held up the ball and caused a threat in behind, and it only adds to the picture of Ancelotti not wanting to use the Welsh veteran between now and the end of the season, if he can help it.

All is well that ends well, but this was a middle finger to Bale following his recent recovery.