Irish fans could not resist checking their calendar after Gareth Bale’s injury lay-off was confirmed

Any fan worth their salt would never celebrate an injury to a player on a rival team, but don't act like Gareth Bale's knock didn't grab your attention.

There were concerns for the Wales star after he limped off the pitch during Real Madrid's 2-1 Champions League win at Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday. Bale received lengthy treatment on the pitch after being on the receiving end of a heavy challenge from defender Sebastian Coates in the first half. He tried to play on, but he couldn't continue and was subsequently replaced by Marco Asensio. The club has confirmed in a statement that he will require surgery on the ankle,

"The Real Madrid Sanitas Medical Services have decided that Gareth Bale will undergo an operation following the traumatic dislocation of the peroneal tendons of his right ankle. "The operation will take place at King Edward VII Hospital in London on Tuesday 29th November by doctor James Calder, under the supervision of the club doctors Jesús Olmo and Mikel Aramberri."

As Bale is set to go under the knife, he is expected to face a considerable period on the sidelines. Obviously he will have zero involvement in the El Clasico match with Barcelona on December 3 and there are reports that he could be out for up to four months. That time frame is interesting from an Irish perspective as Republic of Ireland's next World Cup qualifier is against Wales on March 24. 2017, exactly four months to the day from Real Madrid's press release. This means that he is officially a doubt for the fixture. Ireland find themselves top of Group D after going unbeaten in their first four games. After drawing their opener 2-2 against Serbia, they've racked up three straight wins against Moldova, Georgia and most recently, Austria away. Meanwhile, Wales are four points behind the Boys In Green in third place.