Just four days after a damaging defeat to Real Madrid, and only eight since a painful 3-3 draw with Inter Milan, Barcelona are thrust back into LaLiga action on Thursday night, as they welcome Unai Emery's Villarreal to Camp Nou.

With barely any time to lick their wounds, Xavi's men will need to show huge character to ensure that further damage is not done to their title-chasing ambitions, with Carlo Ancelotti's formidable side threatening to pull away at any opportunity.

The visit of Champions League hopefuls Villarreal, fresh from a 2-0 victory over Osasuna on Monday, represents a stern challenge for the Catalan club, who will need to maintain maximum concentration against a side who have already beaten Atletico Madrid away from home this season.

The importance, and indeed the difficulty of Thursday's tie, means that Xavi will probably be reluctant to rest as many key players as he might have liked, particularly with the visit of high-flying Athletic Bilbao to come three days later, before a crucial showdown with Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

This should ensure that the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Sergio Busquets and Jules Kounde all retain their places, with the Polish striker looking likely to play his eighth 90-minute match in succession.

In terms of rotations, Eric Garcia looked uncomfortable at the Santiago Bernabeu, meaning he could be replaced with Gerard Pique for this game, while both Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha could be rotated to allow starts for Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres.

In midfield, the second-half substitution of Gavi certainly seemed to inject renewed energy and bite, so Xavi should reward the 18-year-old with a start here, while Pedri should continue alongside him.

Alejandro Balde faces competition from both Jordi Alba and Marcos Alonso for the left-back spot, and we believe the experienced Alba could come in here, while Sergi Roberto should continue on the other side, allowing Kounde to fill his favoured position at centre-back.

Meanwhile, Ronald Araujo, Memphis Depay and Andreas Christensen all remain unavailable for selection due to injury.

Barcelona possible starting lineup: Ter Stegen; Alba, Kounde, Pique, Roberto; Pedri, Busquets, Gavi; Fati, Lewandowski, Torres