Van Nistelrooy shrugs off injury fears

Ruud van Nistelrooy insists he will be ready for Real Madrid CF's UEFA Champions League decider with S.S. Lazio despite hobbling out of his team's 1-0 victory over Athletic Club Bilbao on Saturday.

Ready for action
The Dutch striker's seventh Primera División goal after 55 minutes decided a physical encounter with Bilbao at San Mames and consolidated Madrid's position at the top of the table. With seven minutes of the game remaining, Van Nistelrooy pulled up with an injury and was replaced by Guti. "I had some problems with my calf muscle towards the end of the game but I'll definitely be ready for Tuesday," the 31-year-old explained before describing his match winner. "It was a nice goal, a strike from quite far out for me. The ball flew strangely through the air. It's always difficult to win here as the games are very physical and the supporters make it difficult for opposing teams."

UEFA Champions League goal
Madrid need at least a point against Lazio on Tuesday to ensure qualification from UEFA Champions League Group C and with four goals in the competition Van Nistelrooy will be key to his team's chances of progressing. "We now have to concentrate on the game with Lazio," he said. "We know we can't afford to let our concentration slip because the Champions League is one of our big objectives this season."