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Barcelona nursing forwards back to fitness

A busy round of World Cup qualifiers last week caused France's Thierry Henry to be ruled out with a thigh strain, while Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed Saturday's 0-0 draw in Valencia with a bruised knee.

"We spoke with the doctors and thought it best to be cautious (with Ibrahimovic)," Barca coach Pep Guardiola said after Saturday's La Liga clash.

"He was in a lot of pain. We'll have to see if we can get him back for Tuesday."

"It is normal that sometimes you have off days," midfielder Keita said of Messi on Sunday. "The team weren't at their best either (against Valencia), but he remains one of our best players."

Barca also top their Champions League group with four points from two games, and host a Rubin Kazan side who will have been lifted after claiming their first point in Europe's elite club competition last time out.

"We are playing Barcelona, the best team in the world, so we have nothing to lose and a lot to gain from the match," he was was quoted as telling local media.

"Thank God his leg is not broken and I hope he'll be ready in time for Barcelona," Berdyev said.