Puyol returns to Barca lineup

Barcelona captain Carles Puyol received medical clearance on Friday to return to play and has been called up to the bench for Saturday's Spanish league match at Real Sociedad.

The Spain defender is listed in coach Pep Guardiola's 21-player squad and could play for the first time since May after recovering from knee surgery.

The club also announced that Netherlands midfielder Ibrahim Afellay and Brazilian defenders Maxwell and Adriano have recovered from their respective injuries and are fit to play.

Center back Gerard Pique remains sidelined with a calf injury.

In their seasons opener, Barcelona's patchwork defense had no trouble containing Villarreal in route to a 5-0 win. The three-time defending champions last league loss came at Sociedad late last season.