Barcelona captain Carles Puyol is still struggling to overcome a muscle ahead of their match against Real Betis.

Puyol made his comeback from a short spell on the sidelines against Sporting, but aggravated the original problem and was forced off in the latter stages of his side's 10th consecutive La Liga win.

The Catalan defender therefore missed Spain's 2-0 friendly victory over England in Seville on Wednesday night.

And Puyol now misses another trip to the Andalusian capital as Barca travel to Betis.

Argentina centre-back Gabi Milito also remains sidelined with a long-term injury.

The former Zaragoza defender was injured in last season's Champions League semi-final against Manchester United and is not expected to return until late next month.

Former United defender Gerard Pique and Mexican centre-back Rafael Marquez are both available again, though, after missing last weekend's win over Sporting through suspension.

Pique is certain to start, but Marquez may be rested after playing in Mexico's 2-0 defeat to the United States in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday.

Marquez is often prone to injury following midweek international matches and the gruelling journeys to and from Latin America.

The Mexico captain - who turned 30 today - is also in turmoil following his role in the national side's painful defeat on Wednesday.

Marquez was sent off for a petulant kick at US goalkeeper Tim Howard that left his team-mates with a mountain to climb to salvage anything from a game they were already losing away from home against their fiercest rivals, and where they are without a win since the turn of the century.

A visibly shaken Marquez apologised to the nation on television in a press conference an hour after the game, but was largely blamed for the defeat by press and fans in Mexico.

Should the Mexican be left out against Betis, Martin Caceres will come in for his second start in a week.

Seydou Keita could also feature in midfield after returning to fitness this week.

After 22 rounds of the championship, Barcelona still lead the Primera Liga by 12 points from eternal enemies Real Madrid.

Coach Pep Guardiola admits some of his players may be tired following their international exploits this week, but says there will be no excuses should his side fail to beat Betis.

"It's too big a game for excuses," he said on Friday.

"It doesn't matter if we've had little rest or time to work - this is an important game for us to take another step to becoming league champions and I don't want any excuses," he added.

Barcelona lost 3-2 in the corresponding fixture last season under previous coach Frank Rijkaard after leading 2-0.

And the Catalans let another two-goal lead slip when the two sides met at the Nou Camp earlier this season, but came out 3-2 winners on that occasion.

Guardiola therefore expects a tough match.

"It will be a difficult match, but I repeat, I don't want any excuses - it will be our fault if we don't win," he said.

Betis' recent form has been poor.

The Andalusians had lost five of their last seven league matches before last weekend's derby at city rivals Sevilla.

But Paco Chaparro's side came out on top in that match to end a 13 year winless run at Sevilla.

And the veteran coach believes Barcelona can be beaten.

"They have to lose sometime," he said.

"We have to stop them from getting an early goal and feeling comfortable because I've seen many teams in the world and none of them play like they do," he said.

And Chaparro sees Argentina winger Lionel Messi as the main threat.

"If Messi gets the ball and he's one-on-one, it's impossible to stop him," he said.

Juande returns from suspension, but Nelson and Arzu are both banned.

Edu and Capi miss out once again through injury, while Juanito and Fernando Vega are both doubtful.

Betis are currently in 14th place, five points clear of the relegation zone.