'It's been a long time' - Bale fit and ready for Wales' historic World Cup qualification tilt

Gareth Bale has declared himself fit for Wales' World Cup play-off and says it would be an "incredible achievement" to end the country's 64-year wait to be at the tournament in Qatar. Bale dropped out of the Real Madrid squad for Sunday's El Clasico against Barcelona with what the Wales camp have described as a "little niggle". But Bale will start Thursday's play-off semi-final against Austria in Cardiff, saying he is in "very good shape" and solely focused on the sell-out clash and not whether this could be the final chapter of his World Cup career. "For sure it will be one of biggest games I've played in," said 32-year-old Bale, a serial winner at club level with Real over the last decade, where he has won four Champions League titles and three FIFA Club World Cups among other trophies. "Qualifying for a World Cup is something I want to achieve for the fans, the country. It's definitely a massive game, we all want to do well. "I remember (growing up) loving watching the tournament. Brazilian Ronaldo, Samba football, they were probably my first memories. "It's a dream come true for everyone to play in a World Cup. To do it for Wales would be an incredible achievement. It's been a long time. "But we're thinking solely about the game tomorrow and not that far ahead."

Having impressed in the last two Euros finals, Wales are seeking a first World Cup finals appearance since 1958, when they reached the quarter-finals in Sweden.

In the decades since, they've suffered near-misses in qualification, notably for the 1986, 1994 and 2018 tournaments, a surprise 1-0 home loss to Republic of Ireland famously eliminating them last time out. Wales or Austria will have home advantage against the winners of the other Path A semi-final