Barcelona are confident captain Carles Puyol will be fit for the start of the new season.

The defender is recovering from knee surgery.

"Puyol is coming to the end of the first three-week stage of his recovery, the objective of which is to work on the musculature of his left leg.

"If all goes as planned, he should be able to start gentle training out on the pitch by the end of June," a Barca statement read last night.

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