Barcelona will have Xavi back for tomorrow’s Champions League Group H match at Ajax but full-back Adriano is out with an ankle injury, the La Liga club said yesterday.
Playmaker Xavi, who was sidelined by a hamstring problem, missed Saturday’s 4-0 win at home to Granada, when Barca said Adriano had damaged ligaments in his left ankle.
The Brazilian joined a lengthy list of injured players including Lionel Messi, goalkeeper Victor Valdes and left-back Jordi Alba.
Striker Sam to miss Man. United game
Bayer Leverkusen forward Sidney Sam has been ruled out of the Champions League Group A match against Manchester United on Wednesday after sustaining a thigh muscle injury in the 1-0 win at Hertha Berlin.
The in-form Germany international has scored seven league goals and set up another five this season.
“His absence is very bad news for us,” said Leverkusen sports director Rudi Voller. “This is the game of games for us in the Champions League so we have to put everything we have in it even without Sam.”
Leverkusen, second in the Bundesliga, are also second in their Champions League group, a point behind leaders United, who have eight.
Kansas City reach MLS Cup final
Sporting Kansas City beat the Houston Dynamo 2-1 to win the Eastern Conference title and book a place in next month’s Major League Soccer Cup final.
Forward Dom Dwyer scored the winning goal in the 63rd minute as Sporting came from behind to capture the two-leg play-off 2-1 on aggregate after the first leg ended in a scoreless draw.
Kansas City’s opponents in the December 7 final will be either Real Salt Lake or the Portland Timbers. They played their second leg match in Portland late last night with Salt Lake having won the opening clash 4-2.
Guardiola: Still room to improve
Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola acknowledged there was still room for improvement from his team despite Saturday’s 3-0 Bundesliga success at Borussia Dortmund.
Mario Goetze returned to haunt his former club by setting Bayern on their way to victory and a four-point lead at the league summit.
Two goals in two minutes from Arjen Robben and Thomas Muller wrapped up the points.
“We’re pleased because we’ve beaten the best counter-attacking team in the world,” Guardiola told www.fcbayern.de.
“We played very well for the first 15 minutes, but not for the remaining 30 in the first half.”
Ronaldo injury not a ‘big problem’
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti played down the injury-enforced substitution of Cristiano Ronaldo during Saturday’s 5-0 win over Almeria, insisting it was only “a little problem”.
Ronaldo opened the scoring with less than three minutes on the clock before signalling to the bench early in the second half that he could not continue.
However, with attention now turning to Wednesday’s Cham-pions League home clash with Galatasaray, Ancelotti did not seem overly concerned with the 28-year-old’s fitness issue.
“He had a problem with his hamstring. I don’t think it’s a big problem. It doesn’t hurt him,” the Italian coach said.
“His muscle is a bit tired but I think he’ll be better soon.”
Hodgson wants say on friendlies
Roy Hodgson is determined to have his say on who England face in the run-up to the World Cup. The Football Association has chosen the opponents for each friendly during Hodgson’s 19-month stint as manager.
England have an international against the US pencilled in next June, but the opponents for a May friendly at Wembley, and another game in Miami just before the tournament starts, are yet to be decided.
“I have been here for 19 months and I have never actually chosen a friendly,” the England manager said.
“What I am expecting to choose, and have some serious say in is those matches which precede our first game in the World Cup.”
Taggart treble floors Heart
Adam Taggart scored a hat-trick as the Newcastle Jets moved to within three points of the A-League summit with a 3-1 win over the Melbourne Heart.
The 20-year-old netted either side of half-time before Andrea Migliorini grabbed one back, but Taggart scored his and the Jets’ third just after the hour.
While the Jets are riding high, Melbourne sit at the foot of the table without a win so far this term.
Michael Mifsud, who capped his 102nd Malta appearance with a goal in the 3-2 friendly win over Faroe Islands in midweek, did not start for Melbourne Heart yesterday but came on for Mate Dugandzic in the 63rd minute.