Gareth Bale in fine form for Wales' World Cup bid despite missing clasico - in pictures

Wales face Austria in Cardiff on Thursday night as they aim to make a final push to reach their first World Cup since 1958.

As usual, the Welsh will be looking to Real Madrid star Gareth Bale for inspiration as they attempt to get past the Austrians and then host the winners of Scotland v Ukraine in June to decide a place at the 2022 Qatar finals.

It could be the last chance for Bale to make a World Cup - he will be 37 when the finals are hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2026.

There are some doubts over his fitness, having played just 77 minutes for Real since the end of August. But fans will be delighted to see him giving his all in training in Cardiff, despite Real manager Carlo Ancelotti saying he dropped out of Sunday’s clasico with Barcelona as he “didn’t feel well”.

But the signs are good that Bale will start against Austria and win his 101st cap, with Wales having a relatively easy play-off route after avoiding big-hitters like Italy, Portugal and Sweden.

Pictures of Bale and the Wales squad in training can ben seen in the gallery above. To view the next image, just swipe.