Instead, the England manager hailed Bale the best player in the world, a 21st-century fusion of Roberto Carlos and Francisco Gento, a clear hint that his former club should cross their fingers and pray he would not play.
The Wales winger looked set to play after returning from six weeks out with a bad back in dynamic fashion at Wolverhampton.
Back in action: Bale showed glimpses of form against Wolves which has illuminated Spurs' European adventures
Then in swept Harry Redknapp, not quite as chipper as you might expect on the eve of White Hart Lane's biggest game in years, to say the 21-year-old's legs were a bit stiff and not up to starting.
Cue waves of relief from Milan - a city intimately familiar with Bale's destructive force ever since his performances against Inter in the group stages of the Champions League - and hastily constructed conspiracy theories about a Redknapp double bluff.
'I wouldn't sit here and tell you lies,' replied the Spurs boss. 'I'm telling you how it is, which is probably a lot more open than most people would be. If he was fit to start I'd start with him, but he's struggling a little bit. As long as he's fit, he'll be on the bench.'
Master blaster: Bale's hat-trick in the San Siro alerted the world's top club's to his talent
Redknapp admitted Bale's omission would lift Milan as the Italians try to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg.
'Whenwe play Liverpool and Steven Gerrard's not on the teamsheet, it alwaysgives me a lift,' said Redknapp, but he knows there are reasons foroptimism as he attempts to reach the last eight.
High praise: Capello believes Bales is better than Carlos, who was 'born to play left-back'
Bale, after all, was absent at the SanSiro three weeks ago, when Spurs outplayed the Serie A leaders andPeter Crouch scored the only goal of a tempestuous game. Stats are onhis side.
Only once in the Champions Leagueera has a team progressed after losing the first leg at home and thatwas 16 years ago, when Ajax fought back to beat Panathinaikos in asemi-final.
Despitetheir proud tradition as seven-time winners of the European Cup, Milanhave not passed this stage since they won it in 2007.
Onlyonce in 13 attempts have they beaten an English team in this country -a 1-0 win at Manchester United in 2005 - and their spearhead ZlatanIbrahimovic has not been on the winning side in a dozen games againstEnglish teams.
Then there's Tottenham's own form inEurope. They have won all four home games in the competition, includingthe Bale-inspired victory against holders Inter.
Rafael van der Vaart and VedranCorluka are fit for the first time since the win in Milan. Corluka'sreturn is sure to charge home fans, since his ankle injury was theresult of a terrible tackle by Mathieu Flamini in the San Siro.
'Anything that happened out there is history,' said Redknapp, in reference to Flamini's challenge and Gennaro Gattuso's touchline attack on Spurs assistant manager Joe Jordan, but he knows the atmosphere will be 'hot' tonight.
Milan are without some experienced campaigners. Filippo Inzaghi, Andrea Pirlo and Massimo Ambrosini are injured, and Gattuso banned. Mark van Bommel and Antonio Cassano, signed in January, are not eligible.
Even without such senior citizens,they are still an elderly team, seriously lacking in pace, a weaknesswhich Aaron Lennon can exploit, even without Bale's presence on theopposite flank.
Thefact that Milan are buoyed by the return of Spurs reject Kevin- PrinceBoateng from injury supports Redknapp's argument that the PremierLeague is stronger than its Italian equivalent.
'It's all about the pace of the game,' said Redknapp. 'In England it is quicker. We've got to play at a Premier League pace. We have to start on the front foot and be aggressive, get at them.'
For anyone who still thinks no Bale equals no progress for Tottenham, he can still storm from the bench to spread panic through a tired opposition. 'Gareth Bale is today the No 1 player in the world,' Capello told Gazzetta dello Sport.
'He is the only one who can make a difference in the role he plays. He has pace, technique and strength. Those three qualities are hard to find in a player who is not a striker.
'He reminds me of Roberto Carlos, who was born a left back. He was an explosive player and the only one who came even close to Bale.
'His pace reminds me of the legendary Real Madrid midfielder Francisco Gento, who was unstoppable when he set off down the left flank, but Gento was born a winger, not a left back. He did not possess the same strength as Bale.'
It is quite a reference from Capello and will not make it any easier for Tottenham to fight off the interest of wealthier clubs, led by Inter.
Redknapp said: 'Once he was seen against Inter Milan, the whole world were looking at him. If the club want to keep going forward and be a top-four club every year, you've got to keep players like that If we can keep moving forward there's no reason for him to leave here.'
Big if, but extra incentive - should it be required - for Spurs to 'keep moving forward' in the Champions League.
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?Explore more:People: Fabio Capello, Harry Redknapp, Aaron Lennon, Andrea Pirlo, Gareth Bale Places: Liverpool, Milan, Wales, United Kingdom
Source: Daily Mail
Source: Daily Mail