Barcelona hope to have several players back from injury for the difficult match at Sevilla as the defending champions battle to trim the 10-point gap to Spanish leaders Real Madrid with 12 rounds remaining.
Alexis Sanchez (right leg muscle) and Thiago Alcantara (right leg) could be fit to play today at Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, where Barcelona havn’t lost in five years. But Eric Abidal won’t return as he is set to undergo a liver transplant in the next few weeks.
Lionel Messi has scored 16 goals in his past six games, only five away from matching Cesar Rodriguez’s club record of 235.
Madrid host Malaga, an opponent they have beaten in the past five encounters.
“We have to continue doing our job, winning all the points we can and then we’ll see about our possibilities,” Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano said. “There’s no margin for error.”
Sevilla, who are one of the few teams to have taken a point at the Camp Nou this season, also need points. The Andalucians are seven off the last Champions League spot and hopeful that forwards Jesus Navas and Frederic Kanoute are fit for the match.
Barcelona will also hope the question about Pep Guardiola’s future doesn’t prove distracting, with speculation over whether he will sign on for a fourth season accompanying every news conference involving the club.
“What club is ready to replace its most successful coach in history? No one is ready for that, we’re confident he’ll remain,” Mascherano said.
Malaga havn’t beaten Madrid since returning to first-division football, a run of nearly 13 years that includes eight straight defeats at Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
Madrid have won 18 home matches this season, with their only losses - and points dropped – at the Bernabeu coming against Barcelona. The team has looked especially strong since Brazilian playmaker Kaka returned to form.
“He played a spectacular game. The best seasons of Kaka’s career came in Italy, but he never worked as hard as he is now,” Mourinho said after Wednesday’s 4-1 win over CSKA Moscow put Madrid into the Champions League quarterfinals.
“I’m very happy with what Kaka does for us.”
Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain have combined for 62 league goals this season, putting them on course to break the 71 from the Barcelona trio of Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry and Messi three seasons ago.
Madrid have scored 88 goals and are on track to break their own record of 107 set in the 1989-90 season.
Malaga travel to the Spanish capital tomorrow on the back of three straight victories to rise to fourth place in the final Champions League berth, but there are a handful of teams giving chase.
Levante play relegation-embattled Villarreal and Osasuna are at last-place Zaragoza. Both teams trail Malaga by two points.
Espanyol and Athletic Bilbao are a further two points back. Espanyol play Racing Santander on Monday and Bilbao meet third-place Valencia tomorrow.
Bilbao’s mesmerising form has been one of the league’s brightest stories, winning many plaudits and putting Marcelo Bielsa’s team in the running for a top-four finish.
Today
Getafe-Real Sociedad
Granada-Sporting Gijon
Real Zaragoza-Osasuna
Sevilla-Barcelona
Rayo Vallecano-Real Betis
Tomorrow
Levante-Villarreal
Real Mallorca-Atletico Madrid
Athletic Bilbao-Valencia
Real Madrid-Malaga
Monday
Espanyol-Racing Santander