Alexis to miss the Barça-Málaga match

The medical tests that Alexis underwent this afternoon confirm that the player will miss tomorrow’s match.

Piqué, after resting for a week, is recovering well from the knock he received in last week’s match, but will not play against Málaga tomorrow.

Valdés, who was with fever this Monday, returned to training this afternoon.

Alexis Sánchez will not feature in Barça’s team against Málaga this Wednesday. This afternoon the player underwent control tests to evaluate the hematoma caused by the contusion on his left thigh. The results confirm that the player will not be able to play in tomorrow’s match, according to the Club’s Medical Services.

Gerard Piqué will also miss tomorrow’s match. The player’s recovery is very favourable after a week of rest. Piqué returned to training, albeit apart for the group, this Wednesday. He’ll miss the match against Málaga and his recovery will mark his availability against Espanyol this weekend.

The keeper Víctor Valdés, who was with fever on Monday, trained with the rest of the team this Tuesday. Bartra, Tello and Montoya also trained with FC Barcelona’s first team.

Valdés to equal Ramallets’ five Zamoras

The Barça stopper is heading for his fifth Zamora Trophy, which would equal the tally of club legend Antoni Ramallets.

Valdés would also become the first person to win four consecutive awards for the best goalkeeping record in La Liga.

If, as seems likely, Pinto plays in the three remaining league fixtures, Víctor Valdés will collect his fifth Zamora Trophy for the best goalkeeping record in Spain. It would also be his fourth consecutive title, and would equal the record of FC Barcelona legend Antoni Ramallets, who won the accolade in each of the 1951/52, 1955/56, 1956/57, 1958/59 and 1959/60 seasons. As Guardiola has hinted, Pinto will probably play all the team’s last league games. “I need to give some minutes to the goalkeeper who has taken us into three cup finals in the last four years” he said.

“Records are there to be broken”, said Ramallets in issue 43 of Barça Magazine in October 2010, an article in which he and Valdés shared anecdotes and impressions. “Whenever I have met Antoni, he has always made it clear that he has faith in me. Ever since the start. He trusted me, and I am grateful to him for that. It has been a luxury and a privilege to have always been able to count on such support” said the current Barcelona number one.

Valdés has let in 26 goals in 34 league matches to date, a coefficient of 0.76 goals a game. He is followed by Casillas, with an average of 0.86. Even if the Real Madrid keeper gets three clean sheets in his last three games, Valdés would still have a better record and so it is just a case of waiting until the end of the season before he is confirmed as the winner.

Having grown up through the club youth system, Valdés first won the Zamora in the 2004/05 season, when Rijkaard was still manager. Under Guardiola, the keeper from l’Hospitalet has added four further titles, in consecutive years (2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12), something nobody has ever done before. The nearest anybody came was Arconada, who won the award three times with Real Sociedad in the early eighties.

Pinto commented at his Tuesday press conference that “individual honours are recognition for the work of the whole squad … He is the goalkeeper who most deserves it.” (via FCBarcelona.com)

The 18 Zamora winners for Barça

Velasco (1948)
Ramallets (1952, 56, 57, 59 and 60)
Pesudo (1966)
Sadurní (1969, 75 and 75)
Reina (1973)
Artola (1978)
Urruti (1984)
Zubizarreta (1987)
Valdés (2005, 09, 10 and 11)