FC Barcelona`s injured striker Samuel Eto`o believes he could be fit sooner than doctors expect and play in the league leader`s next game.
Medical staff have estimated Eto`o will need 10 days to recover from the inflamed right knee cartilage he sustained during last Sunday`s 4-2 loss at Real Madrid, but the player said Tuesday he could be fit for next Sunday`s match with Getafe at the Camp Nou.
"If I feel OK, I`ll play. I`m really keen to play. I`m OK now and if I carry on like this I`ll be there with the team on Sunday," Eto`o was quoted as saying by news agency Efe.
The Cameroon striker, who leads the league`s scoring chart, notched his 21st goal of the season for Barcelona against Madrid, but was carried off in the second half. The club initially said he might be out for
more than a month.
Eto`o said he immediately thought of the team`s four players who have suffered serious knee injuries this season - striker Henrik Larsson, midfielders Edmilson and Thiago Motta and defender Gabri Garcia.
"When I got injured, I was really scared. I put my hand on my knee and I noticed there was a ball. I thought, `What`s happening to us?"` Eto`o said.
The striker said Barcelona was still title favourite even though its advantage over Madrid has been cut to six points, with seven rounds left.
"Now everyone`s talking a lot about whether Madrid will win the league. But Barcelona is still the leader," Eto`o said.
"The team who has created most pleasure this season is Barcelona. We have a great team and we deserve to win this league."
