Barcelona: Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta will be available for Sunday's derby match against Espanyol after recovering from a leg muscle injury.
Iniesta injured his right thigh in Barcelona's 9-0 rout of Hospitalet last month and missed Thursday's 4-0 victory over Osasuna. The Spain international recovered during the Spanish winter break and returns without having missed any league games.
"Tomorrow we'll decide whether he is in good enough shape to return or not," coach Pep Guardiola said on Saturday.
"This game [against Espanyol] is another test, 2011 is over and the reality is that we are trailing a team that is playing better than we are."
Three-time defending Spanish champions Barcelona currently trail Real Madrid by six points in the standings, having played a game less, and are also without striker David Villa, who is continuing his recovery from surgery on a broken left leg.
Villa posted a photo of himself on Facebook alongside teammates Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernandez at the club's training center, and indicated he was progressing toward returning at the close of the season - in time to help world champions Spain defend their European crown in June.
"Very happy to get back to routine!" Villa wrote on his personal page. "I'm in the Ciudad Deportiva with all my mates! The recovery is going well!"
Guardiola says Barcelona won't replace the injured Villa in the January transfer window.
The former midfielder said on Saturday that "we will not go to the market. We are who we are, and in function of that we will play one way or the other."
Villa broke the shin bone in his left leg during the recent Club World Cup and is expected to be out for up to five months.
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