Van Nistelrooy faces more time out

Real Madrid CF striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will miss two UEFA Champions League matches after tearing a thigh muscle during Sunday's 5-0 Liga victory against Xerez CD.

Bittersweet return
The 33-year-old – returning from a ten-month spell on the sidelines following knee surgery – suffered the injury while scoring Madrid's fifth goal at the Santiago Bernabéu, ruling him out for up to six weeks. "I hurt myself when striking the ball for the last goal," Van Nistelrooy said. "I worked very hard in order to get back playing with the team again and it was a dream return for me as I scored and set up another."

Injuries mounting
The Dutch striker will miss the home encounters with Olympique de Marseille on 30 September and AC Milan on 21 October while a number of other players are also doubtful for the first of those Group C contests. Álvaro Arbeloa suffered a strained right knee ligament in training and is expected to be out for at least a week while Christoph Metzelder and Xabi Alonso are also struggling with respective calf problems. Manuel Pellegrini's side started their group-stage campaign with a 5-2 win at FC Zürich.