Kaka looks set to lose his battle to be fit for tomorrow's Milan derby against the Serie A leaders Internazionale. The Brazilian is recovering quicker than expected after sustaining a foot injury in last weekend's 1-1 draw with Reggina, but the game at San Siro is likely to arrive too quickly for him.
However, Milan should be lifted by the return of central defender Alessandro Nesta from a long-standing back problem, while Ronaldinho, who scored the winner in the 1-0 victory over Inter in September, could be given his second consecutive start.
Jose Mourinho, the Inter coach, is without the suspended forward Mario Balotelli while defender Maicon is a doubt after pulling out of training yesterday with a thigh problem. But Adriano can return after a three-match ban and Patrick Vieira is fit again and is expected to be on the bench.
In Spain, the Barcelona captain Carles Puyol, who missed Spain's 2-0 friendly win over England on Wednesday with a muscle strain in his left leg, has failed to recover in time for the leaders' match at Real Betis tonight.
Juande Ramos, the coach of second-placed Real Madrid, will be without the injured defenders Christoph Metzelder and Michel Salgado for tomorrow's match at Sporting Gijon, as Real look for an eighth consecutive league win in an effort to reduce the 12-point gap to Barcelona.
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