There is Copa del Rey action at the Camp Nou this evening, with a 7.30pm CET kick-off against Murcia (full details here). But even so, there was still activity on the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training ground for the players that manager Ernesto Valverde has decided to rest for a fixture that the 3-0 lead from the first leg has turned into a relative formality.
So Sergio Busquets, Andrés Iniesta, Luis Suárez, Leo Messi, Jordi Alba, André Gomes and Samuel Umtiti will all be sitting out the game, and are instead focusing their attentions on Saturday’s home league match against Celta Vigo (1.30pm CET).
The players were also joined on a cold but sunny morning by Javier Mascherano, who has been struggling with a right hamstring injury sustained in Argentina’s friendly against Nigeria last November 14.
