Villarreal lose Llorente to thigh strain

Villarreal CF's leading scorer Joseba Llorente will play no part in the Spanish club's two remaining fixtures in UEFA Champions League Group E as he needs around a month to recover from a tear in his right thigh.

Great start
The striker – who will celebrate his 29th birthday on 24 November – was replaced by Guille Franco during the second half of the 2-2 draw away to Málaga CF on Sunday. Club doctor Juan Albors confirmed the injury this afternoon, having spent the morning examining the player. Llorente has enjoyed an excellent start to his career at El Madrigal after joining on a four-year contract from Real Valladolid CF in the summer, scoring six times in eleven Liga games including the second at La Rosaleda.

Eguren cleared
The former Real Sociedad de Fútbol forward has also made his mark in the UEFA Champions League, registering a hat-trick against Aalborg BK on Matchday 3, but will play no part in Villarreal's concluding games against Manchester United FC a week tomorrow and Celtic FC away on 10 December. The Yellow Submarine need just a point to reach the knockout stages. Meanwhile, midfield player Sebastián Eguren received the all-clear from doctors at an Andalusian hospital last night after the Uruguayan was carried off on a stretcher in the 72nd minute with a head injury following a clash with Málaga defender Hélder Rosario.