Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has admitted that he is struggling to keep all of his talent happy ahead of their game against Leicester on Saturday.

The Blues' first-team squad page listed 43 players at the start of the season, with 10 players having joined over the summer.

As a result, this has meant limited game time for some of the club's more senior players, such as Joao Felix who is yet to start a Premier League game since joining permanently in summer.

Despite this issue, Chelsea have started the season well and currently sit third after 11 matches, but Maresca feels a tinge of regret at not being able to involve everyone.

"I feel a shame for Joao and I would like to give him more minutes in the Premier League but we need defensive balance and we cannot play with Joao, Cole [Palmer], Christo [Nkunku]," he said.

"I’d like to put all of them on the pitch but then you need to defend, and you need the right balance.

"I don’t have any doubts that if Joao keeps working well, he will find his moment in the Premier League."

Leicester manager Steve Cooper, meanwhile, will have to pick his team up following a 3-0 defeat at Manchester United prior to the international break. He will have to do so without key player Ricardo Pereira, who is out for four months with a hamstring injury.

"It's a real blow for everybody, and especially him. We'll all be with him now in his recovery," he told BBC Sport.

Having kept just one clean sheet in 11 league games, Cooper is also aware of where his side need to improve.

"We're not going to hide away from the chances and goals we're conceding, and we'll keep showing intent to improve that," he said.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Leicester – Jamie Vardy

Vardy is 37 years old, but tops the scoring charts at Leicester having netted four goals in the Premier League.

He has opened the scoring on one occasion this season and has a conversion rate of 33.33% having scored his goals from 12 shots on goal.

Chelsea – Cole Palmer

Palmer ranks fifth in the Premier League top scorers so far this season, having scored seven goals. He also ranks equal-second for goal involvements, having added five assists alongside his goals.

The Chelsea forward has had at least three shots in five of his last six league games and ranks fourth for total shots in the Premier League with 36.

MATCH PREDICTION: CHELSEA WIN

Chelsea earned a 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal in their last match before the international break, which left them third in the table and four points behind second-placed Manchester City

That draw means that Chelsea have lost just one of their last 10 league games (W5 D4), which came against league leaders Liverpool in October.

Chelsea have lost just one of their last seven away games against Leicester (W4 D2), winning four of their last five meetings overall.

Leicester are winless in their last 13 Premier League games against sides starting the day in the top four of the table (D3 L10). They come into this with three defeats in their last four matches in all competitions (D1).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Leicester – 19%

Draw – 21.6%

Chelsea – 59.5%

Croatia joined Portugal in the quarter-finals of the Nations League after the sides played out a 1-1 draw in Split on Monday.

Josko Gvardiol equalised in the 65th minute after Joao Felix had put Portugal – already assured of top spot – ahead in the first half at Stadion Poljud.

That goal ensured Croatia finished a point better off than Scotland in Group A1 after they earned a late 2-1 victory over Poland in Warsaw.

In the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix stepped up by taking Vitinha's pass in his stride and calmly firing past Dominik Livakovic in the 33rd minute – the goal allowed to stand after a VAR check for offside.

Andrej Kramaric blasted an effort back off the crossbar and Gvardiol had a goal disallowed for offside either side of the interval as Croatia pressed for a leveller.

Gvardiol found the net again soon after, though, and this time it was allowed to stand as he got on the end of Kristijan Jakic's delivery at the back post.

Livakovic and Jose Sa produced fine saves to deny Nuno Mendes and Ante Budimir, who also hit the outside of the post, but neither side could find a winning goal.

Data Debrief: Gvardiol scores again against blunt visitors

Roberto Martinez opted to release Ronaldo, Silva, Pedro Neto and the suspended Fernandes back to their clubs before this game and Portugal lacked a cutting edge in front of goal.

Joao Felix took his chance very well, scoring his one goal from an expected goals (xG) value of 0.58 across the 90 minutes, but the visitors were unable to find the net from any of their other 11 attempts.

Croatia's attackers were also frustrated by a mixture of the frame of the goal and Sa, but in-form defender Gvardiol was the hero as he netted for the fourth time this season already for club and country.

Enzo Maresca was thrilled with the "serious" performance Chelsea put in during their 8-0 drubbing of Armenian minnows Noah in the Europa Conference League.

Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku scored twice at Stamford Bridge, while Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Axel Disasi and Mykhailo Mudryk also got themselves on the scoresheet. 

The Blues were six goals to the good by half-time, the biggest advantage by an English side at the break of a major European game since Derby County were winning 9-0 against Finn Harps in the 1976-77 UEFA Cup.

Chelsea are also top of the 36-team league table on goal difference, having scored 16 times in their three matches in the competition so far.

Maresca was impressed by the way his side ensured there was no slacking against evidently inferior opposition.

"I think the players showed how professional and serious they are. It is very easy to sleep in these kind of games," Maresca said after the game.

"Football is full of surprises. It was to show how serious we are, how professional. They showed that and it's an important message for all of us.

"In the first five minutes, we conceded a chance. You have to be focused. The way to show respect to them, don't underestimate them. 

"Football is full of these kind of surprises. We don't need that."

Speaking to TNT Sports, Maresca was especially pleased considering he once again made wholesale changes from the side ordinarily seen in the Premier League.

"Very impressed, especially because we are trying to change players every game. It works well," he added.

"We have good players, and we want them to get minutes. Some of them play in the conference, some in the Premier League, but all of them want to play every game."

The Stamford Bridge faithful could be heard chanting 'we want 10' during the game, but centre-back Adarabioyo was equally delighted with the clean sheet.

"I didn't [know fans were chanting 'we want 10']. Didn't manage 10 but a great result," he told TNT Sports.

"Concentration is key to make sure we have the clean sheet at the end of the game and we managed to do so. I've been thinking I needed a goal soon, so very happy to get one.

"Never take your foot off the gas. We just kept going. Set out for the clean sheet and we managed to get that. We haven't had one for a while."

Up next for Chelsea is a return to Premier League action, hoping to carry the momentum for their convincing triumph against an out of sorts Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. 

Chelsea continued their quest for the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League by hammering Noah 8-0 on Thursday. 

Enzo Maresca's side are one of six sides still with a perfect record in the competition, but sit top of the pile with their superior goal difference following their Stamford Bridge mauling.

Tosin Adarabioyo headed the hosts into a 12th minute lead before Marc Guiu capitalised on Goncalo Silva's loose pass 84 seconds later to double their advantage. 

Chelsea notched their third from another corner, this time through Axel Disasi, with another defensive error punished by Joao Felix's deft finish over Ognjen Cancarevic. 

Mykhailo Mudryk then netted the pick of the first-half goals with a curled effort into the top corner, with Felix grabbing his brace four minutes before the interval. 

It then took Chelsea 24 minutes to get their seventh. Christopher Nkunku saw his initial effort saved by Cancarevic but was able to squeeze in the rebound at the near post. 

Yan Eteki then fouled Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the box, with a penalty given after a VAR review. Nkunku stepped up and smashed the ball down the middle for his fifth goal of the competition this season. 

Data Debrief: Blues sink Noah's Ark

Chelsea are on a roll in the Europa Conference League and have now scored 16 goals in their three games in the competition so far. 

Six of those came in the first half, with their 6-0 advantage at the interval the biggest by an English side at the break of a major European game since Derby County were winning 9-0 against Finn Harps in the 1976-77 UEFA Cup.

The Blues ended the contest with a whopping 5.44 expected goals (xG) from their 31 shots, compared to Noah's 0.61 from their 15 attempts on Filip Jorgensen's net. 

Raheem Sterling has been stripped of the number seven shirt by Chelsea as his exile from Enzo Maresca's first-team squad continues.

Sterling was left out of Chelsea's matchday squad for Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City, with his representatives issuing a statement demanding "clarity" on his future ahead of kick-off.

On Wednesday, Maresca confirmed Sterling was – alongside 14 other players – training away from Chelsea's first-team squad, saying it would be "better" if the winger leaves.

It was then announced by the club that new signing Pedro Neto – who wore the number 19 shirt on his debut versus City – had been given Sterling's old number, with fellow new arrival Joao Felix taking the number 14 shirt after joining from Atletico Madrid.

Trevoh Chalobah previously wore number 14, and the defender is also expected to leave Stamford Bridge before the end of the transfer window.

Sterling joined Chelsea following a hugely successful seven-year stint at Manchester City in 2022, and has made 59 Premier League appearances for the Blues, scoring 14 goals and adding seven assists.

The 29-year-old ranked third among all Chelsea players for dribbles completed (45) in the competition last term, and seventh for chances created, with 30.

Juventus, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa have all been linked with a move for Sterling, though his reported £250,000 weekly wage could prove an obstacle to a transfer. 

Sterling has also been left out of Chelsea's squad for Thursday's Europa Conference League play-off clash with Servette, as the Blues look to establish a healthy lead to take to Switzerland for the second leg next week.

Chelsea have announced the signing of Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid on a permanent deal.

The winger, who played for Chelsea on loan for the second half of the 2022-23 season, has signed a six-year contract, with the option for a further year, for a fee in the region of £45million.

In his six-month spell with Chelsea in 2023, Joao Felix played 16 Premier League games, scoring four goals, finishing the season as the club's third-highest scorer in the competition.

The 24-year-old joined Atletico in 2019 from Benfica, scoring 34 goals in 131 matches in all competitions, but spent last season on loan at Barcelona.

He netted seven times for the Blaugrana in LaLiga, slightly underperforming his expected goals of 8.76, and provided three assists in the competition.

"I'm really happy to be back at Chelsea and I can't wait to get started," Joao Felix told Chelsea's website. "I can see some familiar faces from the last time I was here, which is always nice.

"I loved my time here before, and I told my friends and family that I'd love to return to the Premier League one day. To do that with Chelsea is a great feeling, and I'm excited to be back."

Chelsea opened talks with Atletico over Joao Felix following the collapse of their deal to sign Samu Omorodion. This opened the door for Conor Gallagher to go the other way, with that move also confirmed on Wednesday.

Joao Felix is the 10th signing for Chelsea in this transfer window, after Tosin Adarabioyo, Omari Kellyman, Filip Jorgensen, Marc Guiu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Aaron Anselmino and Pedro Neto. 

Jamie Carragher believes players should stop accepting moves to Chelsea and back themselves to excel at a "proper club", as the Blues close in on the signing of Joao Felix.

Chelsea have spent over £1billion in the transfer market in just over two years under the Todd Boehly regime, but could only manage a sixth-place Premier League finish in 2023-24 after finishing 12th in 2022-23.

Enzo Maresca has become the fifth boss to take charge of the Blues in that time, and his first pre-season at the helm saw another significant outlay sanctioned by the Boehly regime.

Pedro Neto, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Filip Jorgensen, Omari Kellyman, Aaron Anselmino, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Marc Guiu and Tosin Adarabioyo have all arrived with Chelsea's spending totalling £160million.

That figure is set to increase in the coming days with a deal in place to bring Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix – who enjoyed a loan spell at Stamford Bridge in 2023 – back to the club, while Brentford's Ivan Toney has also been suggested as a potential target.

Carragher believes young players should reject the long-term contracts being handed out by the Blues, with the sheer size of Maresca's squad sure to hamper their development.

"Chelsea have just got to stop buying players. Players have got to stop signing for Chelsea," the former Liverpool defender told Sky Sports on Monday.

"If I was a player, I would look at that squad and think, 'why would I sign for Chelsea?' The only reason is if your agent says it's a seven-year deal on big money.

"I'd say, back yourself as a player. Sign a four-year deal at a proper club and back yourself to do well. When you're up for renewal your money goes up anyway.

"It's not a young and exciting team. They're buying Joao Felix... tell me where he's going to play.

"They've signed Pedro Neto... where's he going to play when they've already got Cole Palmer?

"Where would you play Enzo Fernandez, a £100million player? Where would you play [Christopher] Nkunku? Great football teams need competition, but in every team I played in, you had seven or eight players who knew they were playing. That is a healthy squad.

"With Chelsea, where are they even getting changed on the training ground? If you've got 40 players, how do they fit in one dressing room? How do you put a training session on as a manager?"

Maresca's first competitive game at the helm ended in a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, with the representatives of winger Raheem Sterling publishing a statement demanding "clarity" on his future after being left out by the Blues boss.

Kylian Mbappe is unbothered by his indifferent form at Euro 2024 so far, saying the most important thing is for France to keep winning as they booked a place in the semi-finals.

France and Portugal played out a 0-0 draw in 120 minutes in Hamburg, with Les Bleus staying perfect from the spot in the shootout and progressing thanks to Joao Felix’s missed penalty.

Mbappe is the only Frenchman to score at the tournament so far, netting from the spot, with France’s two wins coming via own goals. However, he does not care how the wins come as long as they keep progressing.

"These are the peculiarities of being a footballer," Mbappe said.

"But even then, you have to keep up your involvement and always be there for your team-mates.

"I've always said that no matter what happens, the most important thing is that we win. I've only scored one goal, but we are in the semi-finals, and I'm very happy."

Mbappe had been hit in the side of the head by the ball in the second half and struggled to get back into the game after it as he shied away from any more aerial challenges.

That meant the France captain was not one of the five players to step up in the shootout, having been substituted in the extra time break due to ongoing problems with his broken nose.

"We had already discussed with the coach at the end of regulation time," Mbappe added.

"We decided I would try longer, but at half-time in extra time, I told him that I wasn't feeling it anymore, that I was too tired. He told me 'okay'."

France will face Spain in the first of the Euro 2024 semi-finals on Tuesday in Munich. 

Roberto Martinez insisted that Portugal must be proud of their players, describing their penalty shootout defeat to France as "cruel" in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024. 

Having seen a fourth meeting between the two sides at the European Championships go the full distance, spot-kicks would decide who would face Spain in Munich next Tuesday. 

Joao Felix saw his effort bounce back off the post, allowing Theo Hernandez to send Les Bleus through to their fourth semi-final in the last five major tournaments.

Portugal squandered several golden opportunities on the night, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Nuno Mendes going closest for the Selecao.

Martinez praised his side's display, believing his side were the better side on the night.

"We have to be proud of our players because they fought and performed very well," Martinez said. 

"Football can be cruel. We wanted to give joy to the Portuguese people and the message is that the team gave everything and showed Portugal's values.

"It was a good game and France is a good team. We had more ball, we created opportunities, but we lacked precision and we needed to score a goal.

"We had a lot of opportunities, but it was a game of high technical and tactical level."

Following the full-time whistle in Hamburg, veteran defender Pepe was reduced to tears and consoled by former Real Madrid team-mate Ronaldo. 

Pepe, who has made 140 appearances for his country, became the oldest player to play at the tournament and is likely to have played his final match for Portugal. 

"Football is cruel and sadness is part of it," Pepe said. 

"We were aiming to win for our country and bring joy to our people. Five days ago we won on penalties and now we lost on penalties. It's cruel.

"The most important thing is to congratulate my colleagues for their commitment to the game."

Barcelona have confirmed the departures of Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo.

Joao Felix, Atletico Madrid's record signing, joined Barca on loan last season, while Cancelo, his compatriot, joined from Manchester City on a similar deal.

Joao Felix played 44 times in all competitions for the Blaugrana. He scored 10 goals and provided six assists.

Reports this week suggested new Barca coach Hansi Flick was keen to keep hold of Joao Felix, but for now the attacker will return to his parent club.

Barca confirmed the news on Sunday, the final day of Joao Felix's loan contract.

Cancelo's departure was also announced. Reports suggest Barca are, as it stands, unwilling to meet City's asking price for the full-back.

Both he and Joao Felix are currently representing Portugal at Euro 2024.

Barca also announced that former Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso would be leaving the club on the expiration of his deal.

The Blaugrana finished second in LaLiga in 2023-24.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice on his international return as Portugal completed their Euro 2024 preparations with a 3-0 victory over Republic of Ireland in Aveiro.

Roberto Martinez's side were 2-1 losers against fellow European Championship hopefuls Croatia on Saturday but responded three days later with a convincing victory at Aveiro Municipal Stadium.

Joao Felix opened the scoring after just 18 minutes, while Ronaldo was denied by the woodwork in a one-sided first half against John O'Shea's visitors on Tuesday.

Ronaldo would not be stopped after the interval, though, curling in a fine 50th-minute strike before adding a second soon after in a dominant win, just a week before Portugal's Euro 2024 opener against Czechia.

Data Debrief: Ronaldo stars again

Ronaldo stole the headlines with his 129th and 130th goals for his country, having already broken the Saudi Pro League's single-season scoring record in the campaign just gone.

The Portugal talisman was at his brilliant best here, scoring twice from just 0.49 expected goals (xG) – his personal tally marginally higher than the 0.48 xG for O'Shea's lacklustre side.

Aurelien Tchouameni’s deflected strike was enough to secure Real Madrid a 1-0 win at Mallorca and keep them out on front at the top of LaLiga.

France midfielder Tchouameni broke the deadlock early in the second half as Real extended their unbeaten league run to 25 matches and after arch-rivals Barcelona’s win later on Saturday night, the gap remains eight points.

The two sides meet in El Clasico next Sunday and Barca also remain in top form as they made it six straight wins in all competitions after Joao Felix’s first-half overhead kick secured all three points in Cadiz.

Barcelona were indebted to goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen for their win as the German goalkeeper made two crucial saves to deny Cadiz pair Javi Hernandez and Diadie Samassekou.

Antoine Griezmann scored twice to help keep Atletico Madrid on course for the final Champions League spot after a 3-1 home win against Girona, who remain third.

Griezmann’s first-half penalty cancelled out Artem Dovbyk’s early opener for Girona and Angel Correa headed Atletico into the lead in stoppage time before the break.

France forward Griezmann added his 12th league goal of the season early in the second period as Girona slipped to their fifth defeat in eight league matches.

Rayo Vallecano edged six points clear of the relegation zone after being held 0-0 at home by Getafe.

In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich got their domestic campaign back on track as second-half goals from Raphael Guerreiro and Thomas Muller sealed a 2-0 home win against Cologne.

It was a crucial win for Bayern, who had lost their previous two league matches, as Champions League rivals Stuttgart, Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund all won.

Dani Olmo, Benjamin Sesko and Lois Openda were on target for Leipzig in their 3-0 home win against Wolfsburg and Dortmund held on to win 2-1 at Borussia Monchengladbach despite the second-half dismissal of Germany winger Karim Adeyemi.

Marcel Sabitzer gave Dortmund the lead and then converted a penalty before Max Wober hit back for the hosts before the interval.

Adeyemi’s second yellow card left Dortmund with 10 men for most of the second period, but they held on.

Third-placed Stuttgart extended their unbeaten run to nine matches with a 3-0 home win against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Serhou Guirassy, Deniz Undav and Jamie Leweling were all on target in the first half for Stuttgart, who are level on points with Bayern.

Mainz boosted their survival hopes with a 4-1 home win over Hoffenheim, which made it 10 points from their last four matches and lifted them to within a point of Bochum, who drew 1-1 against Heidenheim.

In Serie A, Juventus failed to close the gap on second-placed Milan after they were held 0-0 by derby rivals Torino.

Juve have won only one of their last six domestic league matches and are five points behind Milan and 19 adrift of leaders Inter, with the top two both in action on Sunday.

Fourth-placed Bologna failed to capitalise on Juve’s dropped points as they were also held to a goalless stalemate at home against Monza, while Nicola Sansone’s late goal clinched Lecce a 1-0 home win against Empoli.

In Ligue 1, Reims’ hopes of European football next season were dealt a blow as they lost 3-1 at Strasbourg and Rennes had a setback in their bid for a top-six finish after losing 2-1 at home to Toulouse.

Joao Felix’s overhead kick sealed Barcelona a 1-0 win at lowly Cadiz and lifted his side back to within eight points of LaLiga leaders Real Madrid.

The Portugal forward converted with a bicycle kick following a first-half corner and with the help of two crucial saves from goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Barca extended their winning run in all competitions to six matches.

Barca, who edged the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final 3-2 against Paris St Germain in midweek, are now unbeaten in 13 before next weekend’s El Clasico at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

Cadiz had boosted their survival hopes by winning two of their previous three in LaLiga and they had their chances, but they remain three points from safety.

Felix’s strike lit-up a first half of few clear-cut chances, in which Cadiz went close to taking a 22nd-minute lead when Javi Hernandez’s drilled angled effort forced Ter Stegen into a sharp near-post save.

But Barca edged in front in the 37th minute with their first real effort on goal following a corner.

Sergi Roberto headed the ball on and Joao Felix swivelled to send a bicycle kick inside Cadiz goalkeeper Conan Ledesma’s right-hand post for his sixth league goal of the season.

Barca should have extended their lead shortly before half-time when the ball broke to Fermin Lopez on the right edge of the box, but his goalbound shot was brilliantly blocked on the line by Cadiz defender Victor Chust.

Cadiz thought they had made an ideal start to the second period as Juanmi turned home Iza Carcelen’s low ball into the box, but the effort was ruled out as the striker was clearly offside.

Chust then headed narrowly wide for the home side, whose appeals for a penalty soon after when the ball appeared to hit Barca defender Pau Cubarsi on the arm were waved away, with the incident not reviewed by VAR.

Felix went close to doubling Barca’s lead through his first-time effort from Ferran Torres’ cross as the action flowed.

Barca were indebted to Ter Stegen with 10 minutes remaining as the German goalkeeper’s flying save from Diadie Samassekou’s thumping long-range shot preserved their slender lead.

Following Real’s 1-0 win at Mallorca earlier on Saturday, Barca closed the gap back to eight points ahead of next Sunday’s showdown between LaLiga’s top two.

Barcelona boss Xavi said on-loan forward Joao Felix is “super motivated” for Sunday’s LaLiga clash against his parent club Atletico Madrid.

Portugal international Felix, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Chelsea, will return to the Metropolitano Stadium for the first time since joining Barca in September.

Felix has scored eight goals in all competitions for Xavi’s side, including the winner against Atletico in Barca’s home fixture in December, since arriving on a season-long loan.

Xavi told a press conference: “He likes fiery atmospheres to show his worth. Joao has a strong personality. He is not afraid and really wants to show what he can do and his character.

“He has all he needs for a great performance, just like the one from earlier in the season (when Barca beat Atletico 1-0) – he’s super motivated.”

Atletico pair Antoine Griezmann and Memphis Depay are also hoping to face their former club in a game Xavi described as a “vital one, like all the ones that remain because we need to pick up points in the league”.

Barca currently sit third in the table and are running out of chances to cut the sizeable gap to leaders Real Madrid.

Atletico, in fourth place, six points adrift of Barca, are unbeaten at home in the league in 14 matches this season.

Diego Simeone’s side bounced back from last Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Cadiz by beating Inter Milan on penalties in midweek to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

Xavi, whose side also progressed to the last eight of the Champions League in midweek after overcoming Napoli, added: “The game is against a Champions League rival and they showed that the other day (against Inter). It will be a really tough away game and I think both sides are in good form.

“I’m sure it will be a great game and let’s hope we can pick up three points, although I don’t think they have lost at home in the league since we won there last season (January 2023).”

Xavi said he was hopeful both Marcos Alonso and Ferran Torres can recover from injury in time to feature in his squad.

Barcelona returned to winning ways as substitute Vitor Roque secured a 1-0 home victory over 10-man Osasuna in the LaLiga champions’ first match since Xavi announced he is to stand down as boss.

Roque, the 18-year-old Brazil forward recently signed from Athletico Paranaense, opened his Barca account with a header just past the hour mark, a minute after coming off the bench.

Despite having Unai Garcia sent off four minutes later, Osasuna showed some threat as they sought an equaliser but Barca were able to see out the win.

Xavi’s men bounced back following successive defeats in the Copa del Rey at Athletic Bilbao and Saturday’s 5-3 home loss to Villarreal, after which the former Spain midfielder announced he would be leaving the club this summer.

The Blaugrana cut the gap between them and leaders Girona to eight points and, at least temporarily, moved up a place to third in the table ahead of Atletico Madrid.

Xavi made four changes from the Villarreal game, bringing in Ferran Torres, Pedri, Joao Cancelo and 17-year-old defender Pau Cubarsi.

One of the adjustments was enforced with Joao Felix dropping out after joining Barca’s lengthy list of unavailable players due to an ankle issue sustained in training.

And they were hit with another injury setback only a few minutes into the game as Torres suffered a thigh problem and had to be substituted, with Fermin Lopez coming on.

Robert Lewandowski nodded wide of the Osasuna goal soon after as he met a free-kick from Ilkay Gundogan, whose corner was then headed just over by Jules Kounde in the 35th minute.

The closing stages of the first half saw Lopez shoot too high and Kounde go close with another header.

There was further frustration for the hosts after the break with Lamine Yamal hitting a shot straight at goalkeeper Aitor Fernandez and a Gundogan header going wide before Roque, within seconds of replacing Lopez, connected with Cancelo’s cross to break the deadlock from close range in the 63rd minute.

Osasuna were then reduced to 10 men with Roque involved again, Garcia collecting a second booking having fouled the substitute.

That brought an admirable response from the visitors, with Raul Garcia’s shot hitting the post and Jon Moncayola bringing a good save out of Inaki Pena.

After Lewandowski saw an effort ruled out for offside, Pablo Ibanez then headed wide at the other end as Osasuna’s late push proved in vain.