Barcelona play hosts to Rayo Vallecano at the Camp Nou, keeping in mind that they have a very good chance to move to the top of the La Liga table, following Real Madrid loss to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
Apart from their home defeat to Malaga on 21 February, the Catalans have been in fine form of late, recording 14 wins in their last 15 fixtures in all competitions.
Considering their form last season, Barcelona have been doing much better as they are currently only two points behind leaders Real Madrid with a game in hand in the La Liga.
They are also in a strong position to reach the finals of the Copa del Rey and the quarter-finals of the Champions League, having managed to beat Villarreal and Manchester City in the first legs semi-final and the round of 16 of the Kings Cup and the European competition respectively.
And now Barcelona will be focused on beating Rayo Vallecano and moving to the top of the La Liga.
Barcelona are expected to easily beat Rayo Vallecano, who are currently 11th in the La Liga, but manager Luis Enrique is wary of the attacking threat that Paco Jémez's team can produce.
"All opponents pose their own threat, but Rayo are one of the teams with most personality in the league," Enrique told Barcleona's official website. "They are one of the few teams who will be challenging for possession. We are really looking forward to this game".
"If they pressure us well and we aren't at our very best then we will suffer. Just like when we play teams who come and park the bus, we'll have to find a solution or the game could get difficult"
Meanwhile, Rayo Vallecano will also be looking to follow the example of Malaga and beat the Catalans in their own backyard.
Rayo are not exactly in the form of their lives, having recorded two wins and three defeats in their last five La Liga fixtures, but they will be hoping to be an obstacle in Barcelona's path as they look to move to the top of the La Liga.
"I can't force my players to beat Barcelona, but I can force them to play well, press the opposition and keep the ball, so if Barcelona want to beat us, they have to prove they're better than us," said Rayo boss Paco Jemez, according to Sports English.
The 44-year-old Spaniard says he will not be treating the match as a "mere formality", insisting that any of his players not giving a 100% on Sunday will be substituted.
Expected lineups:
Barcelona: Bravo; Alves, Mathieu, Bartra, Alba; Mascherano, Rakitic, Xavi; Pedro, Messi, Suarez
Rayo Vallecano: Alvarez, Morcillo, Antonio Amaya, Tito, Nacho Martinez, Lica, Roberto Trashorras, Kakuta, Jozabed, Manucho Goncalves, Bueno
Where to watch live
The La Liga match is set to begin at 12pm local time (4:30pm IST, 11am GMT, 7am ET) with live coverage in India on Star Sports 4 and Star Sports HD4. Viewers in India can also catch all the action via live streaming online on Starsports.com.
Viewers in the UK can catch all the action on Sky Sports 5 and Sky Sports 5 HD, while the option to live stream is on Sky Go. The Barcelona vs Rayo game will be shown live in the US and Canada on Bein Sports USA and Bein Sports Canada respectively with the live streaming option on Bein Sports Connect.
Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can catch the match on Bein Sports Arabia or Bein Sports Connect, while the audience in Australia can enjoy the action live on Fox Sports 4 and Foxtel Play.
