A midweek encounter in La Liga pits the top side against the bottom side in the table when FC Barcelona pays a visit to Andalucia to take on Xerez.
This match, originally scheduled for round 15 on the fixture list, was moved up to avoid later scheduling conflicts. Both will play their regularly-scheduled matches in round 13 this coming weekend.
Barça are fresh off a dramatic 1-0 victory over arch-rival Real Madrid in El Clásico this past Sunday, and they will be keen to avoid a severe letdown when they travel south on Wednesday.
Xerez, meanwhile, were dealt a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Getafe on Sunday, dropping them to the cellar in the La Liga table. They are level on seven points with Málaga and Racing Santander, but they have the worst goal difference in the league at minus-17.
Xerez manager José Ángel Ziganda will have to deal with the absence of Luis Prieto who was sent off during the Getafe match at the weekend. The rest of his squad is available, although he will likely make a few changes from the weekend.
Barça manager Pep Guardiola is without the suspended Sergio Busquets, and Gerard Piqué will also miss out. It is also expected that Carles Puyol will be rested after a phenomenal effort against Madrid, possibly leaving Rafael Márquez to deputize at full-back. There could also be sweeping changes long the front line as Henry, Ibrahimovic and Messi are all battling injuries.
While Barcelona might have a bit of a letdown, they are still a far superior side to tiny Xerez. Expect an emphatic win for the Blaugrana.
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