Beckham winning fitness race

David Beckham looks certain to be fit for Real Madrid’s crucial clash at home to Racing Santander on Saturday.

The Madrid midfielder, who picked up a toe injury in last weekend’s 2-0 victory at Real Sociedad, trained in the gym on Tuesday and returned to the training pitch today.

The England captain was running alongside team-mates Guti and Luis Figo, who are also recovering from minor knocks, and is expected to return to full training with the rest of the squad tomorrow.

It was initially feared Beckham had cracked a bone after the collision with Valery Karpin, but tests revealed the 30-year-old had suffered an inflammation of the joint in his big toe.

Real need to win on Saturday if they are to retain any hopes of overhauling Primera Liga leaders Barcelona by the end of the campaign.