Tito will complete his recovery in New York

Málaga and Real Sociedad will be the last two games Tito Vilanova will oversee before undergoing a treatment aimed at curing him completely of the illness for which he had surgery in December.

The treatment period spans 13 matches, up until mid-March. During his absence, Barcelona will play the two games for the Champions League last sixteen against Milan, that of the Spanish Liga against Madrid at the Bernabéu, away matches to Sevilla, Deportivo and Rayo and, hypothetically, the return leg for the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

The coach spent last week at New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering hospital, accompanied by Doctors María Socorro Bescós and Jordi Pámies who carried out the parotid gland surgery, seeking a second medical opinion and, has consequently decided to complete his treatment in the United States. Following a meeting with Doctor Timothy A. Chan, a plan of action was drawn up which will begin next Monday.

Vilanova will spend 10 days in New York and then continue with his sessions in Barcelona. Once his progress is ascertained, another recovery phase is planned from 18th February, which will last four weeks and will take place entirely at the American hospital.

Throughout the whole period, the coach, depending on how he is feeling, will make decisions about the work to be done at Barcelona's Ciudad Deportiva. He has asked for total privacy and respect during this time.