Barcelona's Portugal midfielder Deco has torn a thigh muscle and faces up to five weeks on the sidelines, the Primera Liga club said.
Deco picked up the injury in a 3-1 league defeat at Villarreal, and limped off in the 71st minute.
Deco will miss the Champions League Group E matches at Rangers tomorrow and at home to the Glasgow side in just over two weeks' time, and will be a doubt for Portugal's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Armenia and Finland next month.
He joins the likes of Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure, Italy full-back Gianluca Zambrotta, Mexico defender Rafael Marquez and Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o on Barca's injury list.
Portsmouth fans get free ride
Portsmouth fans had two reasons to be cheerful on Saturday thanks to an act of generosity from the club's owner Alexandre Gaydamak.
More than 3,000 Pompey fans took advantage of the 40 coaches provided by Gaydamak to get them to the match away to Wigan for nothing and they got to celebrate a 2-0 victory that kept the club fifth in the Premier League.
"I haven't seen a coach following like this since the FA Cup semi-final in 1992," fan Jaz Singh said on the club's website.
The club said the gesture was a way of thanking supporters for their backing in matches at Blackburn Rovers and Burnley little more than 48 hours later last month.
United's Saha misses Kiev trip
Manchester United striker Louis Saha will not be making a comeback in tomorrow's Champions League match at Dynamo Kiev.
The injury-plagued French forward was hoping to make the trip to the Ukraine despite missing Saturday's 4-1 victory at Aston Villa with a long-term knee problem.
However, Saha was not in United's travelling party which headed out to Ukraine yesterday, raising fresh doubts over his long-term fitness.
England duo Gary Neville and Owen Hargreaves were also missing but Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic, who sat out the Villa Park win, was in the squad, even though he is yet to fully recover after suffering concussion during the Premier League win over Wigan.
McLeish asks for Old Firm break
Scotland manager Alex McLeish has called on Celtic and Rangers to postpone their Premier League fixtures on the weekend before the decisive Euro 2008 qualifier against Italy on November 17.
Celtic host Falkirk and Rangers are away to St Mirren ahead of the match which will decide the fate of the national team.
McLeish now intends to speak to Old Firm bosses Gordon Strachan and Walter Smith before making a formal request to the SPL.
"With the bulk of our players coming from the Old Firm it would be great if they could get a break," he said.
Mourinho not keen on England
Jose Mourinho has ruled himself out of the running to replace England manager Steve McClaren.
Speculation is rife that McClaren is facing the sack after England's Euro 2008 qualification hopes were taken out of their own hands with a 2-1 defeat by Russia in Moscow.
Former Chelsea manager Mourinho has been strongly linked with the post but he said: "I couldn't see myself coaching any national team other than Portugal. If I were coach of another team and had to face Portugal, it would be wrong."
Adriano apologises to Mancini
Adriano has apologised to Inter coach Roberto Mancini for his angry reaction to a substitution during Saturday's 1-0 win over Reggina.
The Brazilian scored Inter's only goal of the match, but ignored Mancini as he walked off the field.
"Nobody likes to be substituted," Adriano said. "I want to do so much for this squad, but if I made a mistake, I didn't do it to intentionally offend anyone. With Mancini I have a normal rapport. He makes his choices and I must accept them, as I always have done."
Del Piero deal 'innovative' - Blanc
Juventus director general Jean-Claude Blanc has described Alessandro Del Piero's contract renewal as a "bargain".
Although Del Piero has accepted a 20 per cent pay cut, he will still earn £3.1 million per season until 2010.
"The deal with Del Piero was a special agreement for a special player. It is also an innovative contract, as it is not only for his performances on the field, but also a partnership for marketing his image in new areas," explained Blanc.
Irureta eyes Bolton job
Former Deportivo La Coruna boss Javier Irureta is interested in the vacant manager's job at Bolton following the departure of Sam Lee.
The Trotters have already seen approaches for Steve Bruce, Chris Coleman and Gary Megson turned down and Irureta is believed to have declared his interest in the position at The Reebok Stadium.
The 59-year-old is currently out of work after leaving Real Betis in 2006 and he is thought to be keen on trying his luck in England.
Van der Vaart wants Spanish move
Rafael van der Vaart has reiterated his desire to move to Spain and criticised Hamburg for rejecting an offer for him over the summer.
The Dutch midfielder received offers from Real Madrid and Valencia and is furious at being denied his chance to join the Spanish giants.
"In May, (Hamburg president Bernd) Hoffmann came to me and asked how they could make me happier. I said that I wanted to move to Spain and that I would always like to consider any such offers, and he agreed," the Dutch midfielder said.
"Then a team came in, and suddenly I am not for sale at any price."