Spanish league leader Barcelona hopes the return of Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi will get it back on the winning track.
They will both back for Sunday’s La Liga match against Racing Santander (TV: GolTV, live, 1 pm ET). Barca has won only two of six league games since play resumed after the Christmas break.
Eto’o, who scored 50 league goals in the last two seasons, made his return after a four-month injury lay-off in the closing minutes of last weekend’s 0-0 draw at Osasuna. Messi has been cleared to play after recovering from a broken bone in his foot. Ronaldinho is doubtful because of bruising to his right knee.
Despite a vote of confidence from Real Madrid management, Coach Fabio Capello could be on his way out if the Merengues slump to another defeat this weekend. Real Madrid lost to relegation candidate Levante, 1-0, at home last Sunday, prompting calls from fans for Real president Ramon Calderon and Capello to resign.
On Saturday, Real faces another relegation candidate when it travels to Real Sociedad (TV: GolTV, live, 2 pm ET), which has won just two of their 21 games and is second from bottom.
ENGLAND. Trailing leader Manchester United by six points, defending champion Chelsea has injury worries going into its match against Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (TV: Setanta Sports USA, delay, noon ET). Michael Ballack had to come off the field with a thigh injury just before halftime of Germany’s 3-1 win over Switzerland on Wednesday. Defender Wayne Bridge suffered a thigh injury in training and didn’t play in England’s 1-0 loss to Spain. Chelsea’s other left back, Ashley Cole, injured his knee just days earlier.
GERMANY. Kevin Kuranyi, who scored in his return to the German national team against Switzerland in Duesseldorf, leads Schalke 04 when it hosts Hertha Berlin (TV: GolTV, live, 9:30 am ET). Schalke, which is searching for its first Bundesliga title, moved three points ahead of Werder Bremen with a 2-0 win last weekend. Bremen faces a tough test on Saturday when travels to third-place Stuttgart (TV: GolTV, delay, 11:30 am ET), whose attack features rising German national team star Mario Gomez, who also scored against the Swiss. Bremen could be without star Miroslav Klose, who has a hand injury.