Barcelona have been boosted with the news that Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas have both resumed training. Barcelona have had a tough few weeks of late, and one of the main reasons for it has been the injury to Andres Iniesta.

The return of the star midfielder has been seen as the crucial factor, as the El Clasico nears us - Barcelona will be playing Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in a few weeks time. In the meantime, the injury to key players has allowed Real Madrid to stretch the lead to 6 points. Hence, a mere draw will not be sufficient for Barcelona in their efforts to retain the title for the fourth consecutive time.

The return of Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas, though, will provide a wealth of opportunities for Pep Guardiola to reshape his side in order to make them a killer machine once again. Barcelona have been ruthless in recent seasons, but they have been a shadow of their former self in the away matches. Even though they have been performing exceptionally in the home matches, they have struggled a lot in terms of scoring goals and keeping clean sheets away from home. The 1-0 defeat against Getafe and the 3-2 win against AC Milan are the perfect examples. Andres Iniesta missed the defeat against Getafe.

His return would be invaluable to the team. Cesc Fabregas, meanwhile, has been out of the team for a brief layoff, but he too has returned from injury to add more strength to the team. They both are expected to be included into the match day squad for the home match against Rayo Vallecano. Barcelona are expected to score a number of goals in this match given that it is at home. They both may be involved from the bench.