Ramos returns for Real, Pepe and Di Maria out
Reuters - Friday 06 January 2012, 15:14
Brief news from La Liga
ahead of this weekend's matches:
Spain defender Sergio Ramos returned from injury for Real
Madrid's home game against promoted Granada on Saturday,
but Pepe and Angel di Maria failed to make the squad.
The Portugal defender has bruised ribs and is suspended
while the Argentina winger is recovering from a thigh strain.
Alvaro Arbeloa and Fabio Coentrao were left out.
Real top the standings by three points from arch-rivals
Barcelona after 16 matches, as La Liga resumes after the
two-week winter break.
Real coach Jose Mourinho dismissed reports that he would
be prepared to sell his under-used Brazilian playmaker Kaka to
big-spending Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window.
"I am counting on having Kaka until June and next season,"
Mourinho said after a training session opened to the public on
Friday. "I hope no one leaves, though it is possible because the
market is open."
Andres Iniesta is set to return for Barcelona, when the
champions visit city rivals Espanyol on Sunday. The Spain
midfielder has been sidelined with a thigh muscle injury picked
up last month.
Malaga, seventh, have one eye on next week's King's Cup
last 16 second leg against Real, but first have to host an
Atletico Madrid side under new coach Diego Simeone on Saturday. Atletico, 10th, are direct rivals for the European
places.
"Simeone has already logged some achievements as a coach, he
knows Atletico very well," Malaga boss Manuel Pellegrini said.
"He takes over a team which had one or two problems on the
pitch, we'll have to see if his arrival changes things."
Jose Antonio Reyes was presented as a new Sevilla player
on Friday after completing his drawn-out move from Atletico, and
thanked the club where he started his career, for bringing him
home.
"I return here with a grin from ear to ear, it is one of the
happiest days of my life," Reyes told reporters. "I have changed
a lot since I left [for Arsenal in 2004] but for the better."
Sevilla, sixth, visit promoted Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.
Villarreal's new coach Jose Molina debuts with a local
derby at home to third-placed Valencia on Sunday as he
seeks to end a run of eight matches without a win.
The side known as 'the yellow submarine', who finished
fourth last season, are 17th and only kept out of the relegation
places by a superior goal difference over Sporting Gijon.
La Liga's basement side Real Zaragoza last won a match in
October and their new coach Manolo Jimenez starts out with a
'six-pointer' away to the side above them in 19th place, Racing
Santander, on Saturday.
Zaragoza seek their first away win of the campaign at
troubled Racing, who have just given their temporary coaching
team led by Juan Jose Gonzalez contracts to the end of the
season.