Andres Iniesta has recuperated from his injury and will act as the anti-FIFA Virus in Saturday’s home clash against Racing Santander. The Spanish international was out for three weeks following a hamstring pull, but it looks like Guardiola will be ready to start him after having trained regularly for the past week.

Guardiola could use the chance to play Iniesta as an opportunity to rest Xavi, who started both international matches for Spain, who qualified for the 2012 European Championships with a perfect record. Catalan daily SPORT claims that Guardiola was not happy with the lineup that Del Bosque started with in the virtually useless game against Scotland on Tuesday. Valdes, Puyol, Pique, Busquets, Xavi, Pedro and Villa all started in the 3-1 win, while Thiago came off of the bench in the second half.

The fact that Puyol and Pique are both simultaneously returning to fitness is a huge plus for Guardiola. However, the Catalan coach did not appreciate the overload of minutes being given to players such as Busquets, Villa and Xavi. The game versus Scotland did not have much significance considering that La Roja already qualified for the Euro’s. That being said, Spain also have numerous players that could have started the match, so there was no need to go all out with the best players.

Typically, Barcelona do not perform well after international breaks, but Lionel Messi will be looking to put this past week behind him with a strong performance on Saturday. The Argentina captain had a mixed review with his national team this week. Argentina smashed Chile 4-1 in a game that saw him score and assist Higuain, but a few days later they lost 1-0 away to Venezuela. This is the first time in their history that Venezuela beat the albiceleste. It looks as though Guardiola will start Messi after initially having thought that a start from the bench could benefit the Golden Ball winner’s fitness.

Racing come into the match with no wins this season and are sitting in the relegation zone. Their veteran coach Hector Cuper, however, has taken a humble approach to the game, praising Guardiola’s side as the best he’s “seen in his career.” Additionally, he brushed Mourinho and Real Madrid’s recent accomplishments to the side by stating that “no team has found the formula to beat Barcelona.”

Predicted starting line-up: Valdes; Alves, Pique, Puyol, Maxwell; Busquets, Iniesta, Thiago; Messi, Villa, Pedro.

Predicted score: 4-0

Article written by Barcaloco contributor Keenan Manresa. Follow Keenan on Twitter at @knnza.