Valverde fielded an almost unrecognizable starting 11 on Saturday in a 0-0 draw at Huesca, the Spanish league’s bottom team. Valverde left Messi and Sergio Busquets off the squad to rest, while Ivan Rakitic had a fever and Sergi Roberto stayed home to nurse a leg injury. With the league title seemingly locked up with only six rounds left, Valverde put his focus on United’s visit on Tuesday. Barcelona thrashed Huesca 8-2 at Camp Nou in September, when Huesca was playing its third match ever in the top flight. Despite needing to take all three points, Huesca barely threatened Ter Stegen’s goal in their second meeting.

Source: National Post April 13, 2019 16:41 UTC