A MUCH-CHANGED Barcelona were held to a 0-0 draw by Huesca this afternoon as they moved 12 points clear of second-place Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga.

Head coach Ernesto Valverde left out Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Ivan Rakitic against La Liga’s bottom club, who have only won five matches all season.

The result is unlikely to do much good to their survival chances, but Barca remain firmly on course for the title and will be grateful to have rested several key performers ahead of the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester United.

Barca made 10 changes to the side that beat United 1-0 on Wednesday, with debuts for Moussa Wague and Jean-Clair Todibo and first league appearances for the club for Riqui Puig and Jeison Murillo.

Ousmane Dembele also made his first start since 2 March, having recovered from a thigh injury, as he looks to regain full sharpness ahead of a crucial run of matches.

Roberto Santamaria did well to tip a Dembele effort around the post after a fine reverse pass from Puig, but chances were scarce early on for Valverde’s makeshift side.

The visitors had little to concern them in front of their own goal in the first half, but Marc-Andre ter Stegen – the only player to keep his place from the win at United – made a timely intervention with his leg to deny Enric Gallego a shot on the turn.

Malcom then struck a swerving shot that fooled Santamaria but smacked against the left-hand post, and Dembele blasted another decent opportunity wide, but there was to be no breakthrough.

Barca face United at Camp Nou on Tuesday and host Real Sociedad in La Liga next Saturday. Huesca have a week off before a potentially critical trip to second-bottom Rayo Vallecano.