Do Barcelona rest players in Champions League dead rubbers, and will Lionel Messi play against Spurs?

Tottenham Hotspur go into Tuesday night's match at Barcelona knowing only victory will guarantee them a place in the second round of the Champions League.

Having taken only one point from their opening three matches, wins since against Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven have kept their hopes alive.

Spurs need to match Inter's result at home to an already-eliminated PSV, making it likely they will require a victory, but winning at the Nou Camp is no easy task.

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Barcelona have lost only one of their last 30 home European matches against English clubs - against Liverpool in February 2007 - and they are unbeaten in their last 28 home Champions League games, scoring 87 goals and never conceding more than once in any of those matches.

Then there is the not insignificant issue of stopping a certain Lionel Messi, who has 22 goals and six assists in 29 Champions League appearances against English clubs, including two goals in a masterclass against Spurs at Wembley in October.

There is, however, a glimmer of hope.

Ordinarily, Spurs would have very little chance at the Nou Camp, but Barcelona, with four wins and a draw so far, are guaranteed top spot - a position they have been in many times before - and history suggests they will make a few changes to their starting lineup.

Barca manager Ernesto Valverde has already confirmed he will rotate, with his side having just played the derby against Espanyol and this weekend facing a potential banana skin at sixth-placed Levante - a fixture they lost last season - with it all to play for at the top of La Liga. Barcelona's lead is currently just three points.

“It’s true that maybe there will be some changes,” Valverde said on Monday. “We all know we are qualified, so it’s good to give some players a break, because we’ve just played a very important match.”

Last season - Valverde's first at the Nou Camp - Barcelona found themselves in an identical situation: after five group games they were already guaranteed top spot when they faced a home game against Sporting Lisbon, who needed a win from their meeting to have any chance of finishing second.

Valverde made sweeping changes to his team: six players made their only Champions League start of the entire season, including Thomas Vermaelen, Aleix Vidal and Paco Alcacer. In total there were eight changes from what you might consider Barcelona's strongest team, including no Lionel Messi in the starting lineup.

Barcelona's second-strong is still formidable, though, and they won 2-0. Sporting were made to settle for the Europa League.

Over the past 11 years, Barcelona have been guaranteed top spot after five Champions League group stage games on eight occasions.