Injured Villa faces Spain fitness battle

BARCELONA striker David Villa faces a major battle to prove his fitness for Spain’s Euro 2012 squad as the club confirmed he will be sidelined for between “four and five months” after breaking his shinbone in yesterday’s 4-0 Club World Cup semi-final victory over Al-Sadd.

The 30-year-old was carried off on a stretcher six minutes before half-time and Barca announced soon after that he had suffered a “fracture to the tibia in his left leg”, with the player taken to hospital in Yokohama for further tests.

A club statement said: “The approximate time he will be sidelined is between four and five months.”

That could mean Villa coming back in May — giving him a matter of weeks to make Spain’s Euro 2012 squad. The news means Villa is likely to miss the majority of Barca’s La Liga and Champions League campaigns.

Spain play Italy on June 10 in Euro 2012 before facing Giovanni Trapattoni’s Ireland four days later.

In a message posted on his Facebook page last night, Villa said: “ The injury is a tough blow, but I’m sure that I’m going to recover as soon as possible, thinking about playing the final in Munich (I know my team-mates will take me there) and the European Championships.”

Barca coach Pep Guardiola said: “He will be out for a long time. It’s a big blow to the team. We just hope that he can play again as soon as possible.”

Villa has scored five times in 15 La Liga matches this season, following on from his 18 goals in 34 games as Barca won the league title last term. He has made 75 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 32 goals.

Despite the loss of Villa before half-time, Barca were in complete control througout yesterday’s match in Yokohama. Adriano fired two goals before the break before Seydou Keita and Maxwell added two in the second half to complete the win and set up a final date with Santos on Sunday.