FCBARCELONA.CAT

11.05.2010 12:04

Happy return for Iniesta on 26th birthday

Marc Guillén / Anna Segura

Andrés Iniesta, who is 26 today, was congratulated by his team-mates on his 26th birthday today, and was able to celebrate in style, by returning to active duty.

After a two-day break, Guardiola returned to training to prepare for the most decisive game of the league season on Sunday. They will be playing for the title against Valladolid at the Camp Nou (19.00). At 11.00, the players took to the training pitch at the Ciutat Esportiva, and Iniesta was among them.

Happy birthday!

The Barça midfielder was warmly congratulated before the players started work, and also on what was an important moment in his recovery programme, his first participation in a training session since injuring his femoral biceps almost a month ago, on April 13.

No Maxwell or Keita

The only major absence was Maxwell, who was confirmed on Monday as being out for three weeks. Keita did appear, but stopped early to work out in isolation. He injured his Achilles tendon against Sevilla, and felt some discomfort during training and decided not to take any risks.

Thiago provides reinforcement

The 19 first team players at the orders of Josep Guardiola were also joined by reserve team member, Thiago Alcántara. The young midfielder has been working with the first team for several days and has even been named in the squad for a couple of games.