Iniesta, Puyol back for Barcelona; Thiago out

Barcelona says midfielder Andres Iniesta and defenders Carles Puyol and Adriano have recovered from injury, but Thiago Alcantara will be sidelined for eight weeks.

The three fit players have been selected for Barcelona's Champions League match at Benfica on Tuesday.

Thiago injured a ligament in his right knee during Barcelona's 3-2 win at Sevilla on Saturday.

Iniesta missed four matches after injuring a muscle in his right leg on international duty for Spain, while Puyol more than halved his expected recovery time after hurting a ligament in his left knee two weeks ago.

Adriano sat out Saturday's win at Sevilla with a muscle problem.

Barcelona hosts Real Madrid on October 7 in the Spanish league.