FC Barcelona News: 14 April 2012; Dani Alves and Gerard Pique Declared Fit, Seydou Keita Injured

Alves and Piqué in squad | FC Barcelona
Good news for the Barça coaches. For Saturday’s game away to Levante, Barça have both Gerard Piqué and Dani Alves available. The two defenders have been declared fully fit following their respective muscular problems. The centre back has been missing for two league matches and the right back was out for the Getafe game.

Barcelona's Keita ruled out of Levante trip with injury - Goal.com
Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita has been left out of coach Pep Guardiola's 18-man squad for Saturday's match against Levante. The Mali international trained separately from his team-mates in Friday's session and has been deemed unfit for the match in Valencia with a muscular problem.

Barcelona star Eric Abidal recovering well from op - Pep Guardiola - ESPN Soccernet
Guardiola is continuing to give out cautious messages about the operation that took place on Tuesday, but both the manager and club president Sandro Rosell have revealed that initial reports are positive. "He is doing well," the Barca boss told reporters at a press conference on Friday. "The doctors told me that everything is going as planned. That's the best news we can have."

Guardiola: "The only way we can extend our league challenge is by winning" | FC Barcelona
Josep Guardiola is treating Saturday’s clash with Levante with the utmost importance. He knows that the next league fixture, against leaders Real Madrid, will be much more difficult than people seem to think and therefore "I’ll playing what I think is the strongest team and that can adapt best to the opponent and the ground".

Ciutat de València, a ground that brings back memories | FC Barcelona
Barça are returning to the Ciutat de València on Saturday, the same place where less than a year ago, on May 11, 2011, they won La Liga for the third consecutive year. Keita put FCB ahead with a wonderful header but shortly before half time Felipe Caicedo pulled the home side level. But the point was ultimately all Barcelona needed to secure yet another championship title.

Diego: Pele 'stupid' to rate Neymar over Messi - ESPN Soccernet
Argentina legend Diego Maradona has called Brazilian counterpart Pele "stupid" for suggesting that Barcelona star Lionel Messi is not as good as Santos starlet Neymar. "Maybe Neymar is the best player in the world, but only if you say that Messi is from a different planet," Maradona said.

Deulofeu, to miss Girona clash | FC Barcelona
Eusebio Sacristán will not be able to field Gerard Deulofeu against Girona in Barça B’s upcoming Liga match on Saturday (18:00). The player is still recovering from an ankle sprain that he sustained in the match against Córdoba last week. Therefore the Catalan will be added to the list of unavailable players along with Tello and Montoya, with the first team, and Ilie and Miño.

Marcelo named in Real Madrid squad for Sporting Gijon clash - Goal.com
The Brazilian full-back missed the recent derby fixture against Atletico Madrid, which the current La Liga leaders won 4-1, due to injury. However, after returning to training on Friday, the South American defender has been included in Jose Mourinho's group for the fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Javi Martinez: If Athletic Bilbao win a trophy this season I will dye my hair pink - Goal.com
Athletic Bilbao's Javi Martinez has stated that he will dye his hair pink should his side lift a trophy this term. The San Mames outfit are preparing for a Europa League semi-final tie with Sporting Lisbon, and also face Barcelona in the showpiece of the Copa del Rey in May.

Villarreal's Italy forward Rossi out of Euro 2012 - Yahoo! Eurosport
Italy's Euro 2012 chances were dealt a blow on Friday when striker Giuseppe Rossi tore the same ligaments in his right knee that have already sidelined him for six months. United States-born Rossi's club Villarreal said the 25-year-old suffered the latest setback in training on Friday morning and would need further surgery that would keep him out of action for another six months.

Spotlight on Levante | FC Barcelona
Although Levante (or Llevant in Catalan) have never been a big name club, they boast a 103 year history and are currently being hailed as one of the surprise packages of this year’s La Liga, sitting fifth after occupying a top four spot for much of the season.