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MADRID (AP)—Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain has recovered from back surgery to be included in Real Madrid’s squad for a Spanish league game against Sporting Gijon this weekend.

Higuain hasn’t played since November, and underwent an operation for a hernia in his lower back in January. The 23-year-old will likely back up Emmanuel Adebayor in attack on Saturday with France striker Karim Benzema left out to injury.

Cristiano Ronaldo was left out of the team as the Portugal forward continues to recover from a leg injury with a Champions League quarterfinals match against Tottenham on Tuesday. Ronaldo leads the team with 37 goals in all competitions.

Higuain scored 10 goals before succumbing to injury.

Labels: Higuain, injury, Madrid, returns

Tottenham Hotspur's Champions League win in Milan on Tuesday night has come at the price of two new defensive injuries, with both Jonathan Woodgate and Vedran Corluka facing absences as a result of problems sustained at San Siro. Woodgate, who was returning from a long-term spell out of the side, strained his groin, while Corluka's ankle was injured by a Mathieu Flamini tackle.

Woodgate sustained his injury after coming on as a substitute for Corluka 59 minutes into Tuesday's game. It was Woodgate's first Tottenham appearance since the 9-1 home victory over Wigan Athletic in November 2009. But the 31-year-old strained his left adductor muscle in the half an hour he was on the pitch and will be assessed over the next few days. He is likely to miss the next few weeks.

Despite the recurrence of his groin problems, Woodgate was delighted to return to the Tottenham side, and saw it as a vindication of his mental strength through adversity. "It was a great feeling to get back", said the former Real Madrid player. "There is nothing worse than when you can't play football.

"Watching games is painful when you're injured but you try to spur the lads on and give them all the confidence they need. A lot of people doubted whether I'd be able to get back but you have to show determination to not let bad times get you down and you have to just keep going."

The player Woodgate replaced on Tuesday, Corluka, will also join the host of Tottenham defenders currently unavailable; Ledley King, Younes Kaboul and Alan Hutton all missed the game in Milan with injuries. The Croat was the victim of a reckless tackle from former Arsenal midfielder Flamini and expects to be out for a month. The Frenchman received a yellow card from Stéphane Lannoy for a challenge that Spurs manager Harry Redknapp said risked breaking Corluka's leg.

Corluka said that the injury was not as bad as he had initially feared. "Luckily nothing is broken", he said, "but I will still be out for at least four weeks. When I first saw my ankle, I was sure it would be at least two months, but luckily it is not so bad." The club later confirmed that he had sprained part of his ankle joint capsule, and will make a gradual return to training next week. If his return is successful he will be back in full training in a few weeks.

The Milan captain Gennaro Gattuso has escaped a charge of assault for his headbutt on Tottenham coach Joe Jordan after Tuesday's game, Uefa said yesterday. The 33-year-old midfielder has instead been charged with the lesser offence of gross unsporting conduct, which, according to Uefa's disciplinary code, carries a minimum one-match ban.

Assault, in contrast, brings a minimum three-match ban while serious assault leads to a five-match suspension. Gattuso will learn of his punishment on Monday. Regardless of the sanction, he will miss the return leg at White Hart Lane on 9 March after being booked for a tackle on Steven Pienaar on Tuesday. Gattuso later apologised for his actions. "I lost control", he admitted. "There is no excuse for what I did."

Labels: another, despite, Independent, injury, setback, upbeat, Woodgate

BERLIN, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Bayer Leverkusen’s Michael Ballack missed training on Sunday and underwent a medical check for a knee injury a day after he was left on the bench in the club’s 3-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt, officials said.

“He did not take part in training today. The midfielder underwent a medical test because of a knee problem,” the club said in a statement.

It said there was no diagnosis on the injury yet, nor any word on how he had been injured.

Ballack returned to action only in late January after being out since September with a shinbone injury.

The 34-year-old Germany captain, who also missed the World Cup last year through injury and is battling to win back a place in the national side, was surprisingly left on the bench on Saturday after spending 40 minutes warming up in the second half.

(Writing by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Clare Fallon; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Labels: Ballack, injury, misses, Reuters, Training, undergoes

By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 6:18 PM on 6th February 2011

Robbie Keane looks to be out of the Republic of Ireland's Carling Nations Cup opener against Wales after picking up a calf injury in West Ham's 1-0 defeat to Birmingham.

Keane, who scored on his Hammers debut at Blackpool on Wednesday, had to come off with 15 minutes of Sunday's match at Upton Park remaining after feeling his calf tighten.

West Ham boss Avram Grant said that he believes the 30-year-old is out of Tuesday's game in Dublin and could miss next weekend's crucial match at West Brom.

Grant said: 'Robbie Keane is injured. His calf has tightened. We will have to wait and see. I hope he will be fit for next weekend but he will not be fit for the international.'

Celtic's Anthony Stokes was placed on standby for a call-up when Giovanni Trapattoni named his squad last week and could replace Keane if he is pulled out.

Bristol City striker Andy Keogh had to be drafted into the Republic squad on Saturday after Newcastle striker Leon Best was injured in his side`s remarkable 4-4 draw with Arsenal.

Labels: after, clash, Daily, injury, Irelandaposs, Keane, picking, Wales