Barcelona will welcome back Carlos Puyol and Andres Iniesta from injury as well as having a fit Rafael Marquez, who didn't play in the WC Qualifiers, as they hope to increase their lead at the top of the table with Real Madrid playing later on in the day.

Barcelona will be particularly pleased to include Messi, Alves and Cacares in the team, despite their late arrival from South America, but will be keen to ensure that only the fit ones play as they have a Champions League game against Bayern coming up in mid-week.

Valladolid have been impressive this season, including beating some of the top teams in the La Liga like Real Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia and Villarreal.

The earlier match in the season was a 6-0 thrashing by the Catalans against Valladolid, and expect Barca to seal this result at half time as they look to rest players for the fixture in mid-week.