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David Villa could play at Euro 2012 but Puyol is ruled out, says Barca doctor
Posted Thursday, May 17, 2012 by Goal.com

David Villa could play at Euro 2012 but Puyol is ruled out, says Barca doctor

Barcelona doctor Ricard Pruna has declared that David Villa could play for Spain at Euro 2012.

The 30-year-old striker is in a race against time to be fit for this summer's showpiece event after sustaining a fractured tibia in December during the Club World Cup in Japan.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has refused to rule out including Villa in his squad for Poland and Ukraine, and Pruna is hopeful that the striker will be able to feature for his country in the tournament.

"Villa is doing ball work and recovery exercises," the medic said at a press conference. "We have to wait two more weeks, but what is clear is that he will miss the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao.

"To be fair, he could play at the Euros. In the next few weeks we will decide if he will join up with Spain's team and whether he can play at the Euros.

"He is absolutely not ruled out for the tournament."

Questioned about the recovery of Carles Puyol, who underwent surgery on a knee problem last week, the Barca doctor guaranteed that the defender will not be able to help Spain defend their Euro crown.

"We think that Puyol does not have any chance to play at the Euro, based on the time he will need to recover," he explained.

Standings
    Rank Team W/D/L Pts

    Cities & Stadiums

    The Top 3 Teams of Previous Tournaments

    Year Winners Runner-up Third place
    2008SpainGermanyRussia / Turkey
    2004GreecePortugalNetherlands / Czech Republic
    2000FranceItalyNetherlands / Portugal
    1996GermanyCzech RepublicFrance / England
    1992DenmarkGermanyNetherlands / Sweden
    1988NetherlandsSoviet UnionItaly / West Germany
    1984FranceSpainDenmark / Portugal
    1980West GermanyBelgiumCzechoslovakia
    1976CzechoslovakiaWest GermanyNetherlands
    1972West GermanySoviet UnionBelgium
    1968ItalyYugoslaviaEngland
    1964SpainSoviet UnionHungary
    1960Soviet UnionYugoslaviaCzechoslovakia