Barcelona coach Luis Enrique says that midfielders Andres Iniesta and Sergi Roberto are set to return from injury and play at least some part in Saturday afternoon's La Liga fixture at Getafe.
Iniesta has not featured for Barca since picking up a thigh muscle problem in the Champions League Group E game at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Sept. 29, while Sergi Roberto limped out of the Champions League group game at BATE Borisov on Oct. 20 with a similar, if less serious, injury.
The Catalan club are also currently without injured talisman Lionel Messi, and long-term absentees Rafinha and Douglas for the trip to Madrid, while Javier Mascherano misses the Getafe game as the first of the two match suspension imposed for insulting a linesman in last weekend's 3-1 win over Eibar.
With Iniesta and Sergi Roberto both having been given an all-clear by the club's medical staff, the Blaugrana coach suggested at his pregame news conference that both could well go straight into the starting XI.
"If [Iniesta and Sergi Roberto] go, they could start the game," Luis Enrique said. "Another thing is if they will be at 100 percent. They are lacking match fitness."
With speculation growing around Barcelona that Messi will not return from his knee injury in time for Nov. 21's Clasico at Real Madrid, Luis Enrique said there would be no rush to get the team's best player back for the biggest game of the season so far.
"We are thinking about Messi recovering completely, not worrying about any particular date," Luis Enrique said. "What we want is for him to recover 100 percent."
Barca's squad has been stretched to the limit through recent weeks by injury and suspensions, and the former midfielder admitted he was concerned at having to play those players who are available more than he wanted.
"We are not worse than last year physically," Luis Enrique said. "But we are aware that we are pushing some of the players more than we want. I hope we do not pay for that at the end of the season."
With young attackers Munir El-Haddadi and Sandro Ramirez coming under increasing scrutiny in the Catalan press as neither have scored all season despite both playing regularly given Messi's injury. Asked generally if he was worried about his side lacking goals recently, Luis Enrique said he was happy with the pair's contribution in all round play.
"I would like Sandro and Munir to score, but I am happy with their work," he said. "They play a part in the goals, and I am happy for them. I believe they still can improve a lot."
Getafe are currently 13th in the La Liga standings after a mixed start to the season under new coach Fran Escriba, having won their past three home games with an aggregate score of 8-0, but they were hammered 5-0 at Sevilla last weekend. Barca drew 0-0 in last year's visit to the Coliseum and were also beaten at the suburban Madrid ground in November 2011.
"We will expect the usual face of Escriba's teams," Luis Enrique said. "Well set up in defence and with quality in attack. This pitch always brings us memories of past difficulties. It is always difficult to play at Getafe, but the statistics are there to be broken."
Asked about the growing tensions between Barca's board and UEFA over fans waving the pro-Catalan independence estelada flag at the Camp Nou, Luis Enrique appeared to call on both sides to stop escalating the issue.
"It began as a marble and now is a snowball," he said. "We'll have to see how it ends up. I don't know. The institutions should be there to resolve such conflicts, not to create them. Every time someone talks there are punishments."