Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano
TEAM NEWS
Barcelona wish to include Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas in their team. Iniesta has missed two games with a thigh problem while Fabregas was rested for a 1-0 defeat to Getafe at the weekend. Ibrahim Afellay remains sidelined for the Catalans though.
Rayo Vallecano are expected to return Javi Arribas with Michel Labaka in defence.
MANAGER QUOTES
Pep Guardiola: "The loss (to Getafe) isn't terrible. I don't think the league has slipped away. There is motionless a long way to go. We can afford fewer slip-ups now. We will keep working hard and shift forward."
Jose Ramon Sandoval: "Barcelona have little margin for error because they cannot afford to lose at home. Getafe took away three points and we will try to take away three points ... you can vary tactics but the philosophy will be the same that we have had from the start of the time."
MATCH FACTS
Barcelona have won only two of their last eight league meetings with Rayo (three draws, three defeats), though they have not met since 2003.
Since 2000, Barcelona have averaged fewer points per game vs Rayo than any other side in Primera (1.14, Real Madrid 1.47, min. five meetings).
Barcelona have won their final eight league games at home to sides from Madrid, and are unbeaten since December 2007 (0-1 vs Real Madrid).
In 2010/11, Barcelona dropped points against each of the three newly-promoted sides in La Liga.
Against Rayo, Barcelona can become the first side in La Liga history to go 11 consecutive games at home without conceding.
Since the start of 09/10, Barcelona have lost only one of their 45 league games at home (four draws, 40 wins).
With 28 points after 13 games, this is Barcelona’s worst start to a league season in the Guardiola era (27 in 2007/08): they had at least 32 points at this stage in each of the last three seasons.
However, seven goals conceded in 13 games is Barça’s greatest defensive start to a La Liga campaign since 1988/89 (seven too).
only three teams have picked up more points on the road in La Liga this season than Rayo (nine, the same as Barcelona).
Lionel Messi has averaged two goals per game at the Camp Nou in the league this period (14 goals in seven matches).
MATCH ODDS
Barcelona 1/14, Rayo Vallecano 28/1, Draw 9/1.




Atletico are missing star striker Radamel Falcao after the Colombian failed to recover from an adductor tear. Silivo, Tiago Mendes, Antonio Lopes and Joel Robles are also out.
Real are without Kaka (foot), Alvaro Arbeloa (thigh) and Ricardo Carvalho (back), other than Marcelo and Angel Di Maria appear to have recovered from muscular injuries and should feature. Boss Jose Mourinho once more has to choose between Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain up front.


Team news,quotes and detail ahead of the Champions League Group H clash between AC Milan and Barcelona at San Siro.


Team news, manager quotes and match tetails ahead of the La Liga clash between Barcelona and Real Zaragoza at the Camp Nou.
TEAM NEWS
Barcelona may have onward Pedro available after the Spain international completed a full training session with the rest of the squad on Friday.
The return of Pedro, who twisted an ankle in the match at Granada last month, means Brazil fullback Adriano Correia and long-term injury absentee Ibrahim Afellay of Netherlands are the only two players left on the medical list.
Abraham Minero and Adam Pinter training on Monday and should mark in the match, but Paraguayan defender Paulo Da Silva is missing with a suspected broken leg.




