Barmby sits out Málaga trip

Nick Barmby looks set to miss both legs of Leeds United AFC's UEFA Cup third-round meeting with Málaga CF after damaging his achilles tendon prior to yesterday's 2-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur FC in London.

Lengthy injury list
The injury, sustained in the warm-up, is not as bad as first feared as there were concerns Barmby had either snapped or ruptured the tendon. The 28-year-old midfield player looks likely to be sidelined for a few weeks and joins a Leeds casualty list which includes Dominic Matteo, Lucas Radebe, Olivier Dacourt, Danny Mills, Paul Okon and David Batty.

'Freak injury'
Manager Terry Venables said: "It's one of those freak injuries. He was training, his studs got caught and he got a real bad pain down his achilles. It didn't look good at the time, fortunately it's not ruptured or anything like that." Leeds lost 2-0 at White Hart Lane and are currently 14th in the Premiership, just four points clear of the relegation zone.

Intensive treatment
Striker Mark Viduka, who started on the bench at Spurs but was subbed in the 84th minute due to a calf injury sustained after replacing Jacob Burns ten minutes before half-time, is undergoing intensive treatment in a bid to be fit for the UEFA Cup trip to Spain.

Fowler on the mend
However, Robbie Fowler and Seth Johnson will make their latest comebacks from injury for the reserve team against Sunderland AFC tonight and both could yet be fit for the trip to Málaga. Fowler has not played in a competitive fixture since replacing Michael Owen at half-time in England's 3-0 victory against Denmark in the second round of the FIFA World Cup.