Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova has returned to the Catalan club 's training ground just two weeks after undergoing surgery to remove a tumor from his throat . Vilanova suffered a recurrence of a tumor on his parotid gland -- located at the back of the mouth -- and was released from hospital on December 22 . The former assistant coach , who replaced Josep Guardiola in June , returned to training on Wednesday ahead of the Spanish league leaders ' derby match with Espanyol on Sunday . Vilanova also dropped in on the Catalan national team -- featuring nine Barca players -- as it prepared for a friendly match with Nigeria . Blog : Barcelona 's Vilanova coach of the year ? `` The manager ... led the team 's second training session of the year , '' read a statement on the club 's official website . `` This morning , Vilanova stopped by the Ciutat Esportiva to meet with the Catalan players ahead of this afternoon 's Catalonia vs. Nigeria match . '' Barca president Sandro Rosell said last weekend he hoped Vilanova would be fit to return to work in two-to-three weeks . Despite not being recognized by football 's global governing body FIFA , a squad made up entirely of Catalan players occasionally plays exhibition matches . The team , led by Dutch former Barca player and coach Johan Cruyff , was held to a 1-1 draw by Nigeria at the Camp Nou . Midfielder Sergio Gonzalez , without a club since being released by Levante in 2011 , gave the Catalan team the lead from the penalty spot after three minutes . But Nigeria earned a draw when U.S.-born Portland Timbers striker Bright Dike equalized after 55 minutes . Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi is preparing Nigeria for this month 's 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa , where the two-time tournament winners have been drawn in a group with 2012 champions Zambia , Burkina Faso and Mali . Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes picked up an injury in the match which will see him sit out training on Thursday . Vilanova 's team , under the temporary guidance of assistant Jordi Roura , is looking to continue a run which saw them pick up a record 16 wins from their first 17 league matches of the season . The Espanyol tie will see Argentine star Lionel Messi take to the field for the first time this year , after a record-breaking 2012 which saw him score 91 goals . Barca currently lead second-placed Atletico Madrid , who face Mallorca on Sunday , by nine points , with archrivals Real Madrid a further seven points back . Cruyff described Real 's start to the season as a `` failure '' , while also questioning coach Jose Mourinho 's decision to drop Spanish international goalkeeper Iker Casillas . `` At this stage of the season Real Madrid being 16 points behind Barcelona can only be called a failure , '' Cruyff was reported to have said by Spanish newspaper Marca . On Mourinho favoring Antonio Adan over World Cup winner Casillas , Cruyff commented : `` You do n't lose your place overnight . '' Real host Real Sociedad on Sunday .
Tito Vilanova returns to Barcelona training ground after operation to remove a tumor . The Barca coach had a tumor removed from his parotid gland on December 20 . Vilanova visited players ahead of the match between Catalan national team and Nigeria . TL;DR