Precautionary measure

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BARCELONA, Spain -- Barcelona will be without midfielder Andres Iniesta and defender Daniel Alves for the second leg of its last-16 match in the Copa del Rey at Osasuna on Thursday.

Iniesta was left out after hurting his ankle in the Spanish league at the weekend, while Alves will miss the match as a precaution after feeling discomfort in his right leg during practice on Wednesday. Barcelona will take a 4-0 lead into the match.

"He picked up a knock to his ankle against Espanyol," Guardiola said of Iniesta, who alongside Alves was included in FIFA-FIFPro's world all-star team on Monday. "I didn't pick him so he could avoid wasting extra energy by travelling with the team."

Seydou Keita will also be missing after joining Mali for the African Cup of Nations, while Brazilian fullback Maxwell was left out of the team because French club Paris Saint-Germain looks set to sign the former Ajax player.

"He came to see us and told us he had an offer from PSG that he would like to accept," Guardiola said. "If a player wants to go and he reaches a deal with the club, I won't stand in the way. I understand the situation and have left it up to him to do what he wants."

Maxwell joined the European champions from Inter Milan in a C4.5 million transfer (then $6.4 million) in 2009, and had received regular playing time up until this season.

Barcelona also said Ibrahim Afellay's recovery from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left knee has been "satisfactory," with the Dutch midfielder returning from the Netherlands to continue his rehabilitation at the club's facilities.