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Tough away games for Barca and Madrid on Wednesday night

Xinhua, September 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

League leaders, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid both play important and difficult games in the first round of the BBVA Primera Liga on Wednesday night.

Barcelona travel to face Celta Vigo, who are currently third in the table with three wins and a draw from their opening four matches and whose attacking trio of former Barca-B team player, Nolito, Iago Aspas and Fabian Orellana are in excellent form, although Nolito, who has been touted as a possible winter signing for Barca said on Monday it was "a joke" to compare them with Barca's trio of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.

Suarez will return to the starting 11 after being rested on Sunday, while Gerard Pique is also in line to make his first appearance of the campaign after completing his four-match suspension.

However, Barca are still without Rafinha, who undergoes surgery in his broken knee ligament on Tuesday, and Claudio Bravo, who is still recovering from injury.

Real Madrid travel to play Athletic Club Bilbao in the San Mames Stadium, where they have not won in the past two years.

Rafael Benitez's side were disappointing in only beating Granada 1-0 on Saturday and maintain the doubt over the presence of Sergio Ramos, who has struggled with a shoulder injury, while Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Danilo are also out through their respective injuries.

Athletic have not had a great start to their league campaign, partly due to their own long injury list and the Basques still have forward Iker Muniain and Inaki Williams sidelined, but after resting several players in their defeat to Villarreal on Sunday, coach Ernesto Valverde will field his strongest 11 and Madrid will hope Ramos is fit to try and deal with striker Aritz Aduriz, who has been in devastating form once again.

Aduriz has 9 goals in all competitions and will be a constant threat from crosses into the Madrid area and set pieces. Endit