( CNN ) -- Spanish champions Barcelona will kick off 2011 without the services of world player of the year Lionel Messi and key defenders Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique . Coach Pep Guardiola has given top scorer Messi permission to miss Sunday 's home clash with Levante as his side seek to move five points clear of second-placed rivals Real Madrid in the La Liga standings . The club 's website reported on Friday that the Argentina forward had been allowed to extend his holiday , so will be missing from the line-up for only the fourth time this season . Captain Puyol is ruled out with a groin injury that he picked up playing for Catalonia in the representative game against Honduras earlier this month , and may also miss next weekend 's trip to Deportivo La Coruna . Spanish league strike called off . His central defensive partner Pique is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card this season in Barca 's final league game of 2010 , the 5-1 thrashing of city rivals Espanyol on December 18 . However , Guardiola will be able to call on Argentine defender Gabriel Milito and young midfielder Jeffren Suarez , who have both returned to training . Milito had been sidelined since injuring his thigh in the Spanish Cup win over Ceuta on November 10 , while the 22-year-old Jeffren suffered a groin problem in the Champions League match win over Rubin Kazan on December 7 . Football 's best and worst of 2010 . Meanwhile , Jose Mourinho 's Real Madrid will return to action on Monday with a trip to seventh-placed Getafe . The capital club 's website reported that 5,000 fans turned up to watch the squad return to training on Thursday . `` I had never been in a session attended by so many people , '' Real 's former Getafe winger Pedro Leon said . `` We thank the fans for their support and we ask them to continue supporting us . I hope we can thank them by winning a title at the end of the campaign . '' Spain 's top two clubs will also line up in midweek for the second leg of the Spanish Cup last-16 ties , with Barca away to Athletic Bilbao and Real traveling to Levante . Bilbao will be hoping to pull off a shock after earning a 0-0 draw at Camp Nou this month , but Levante have little chance of overturning an 8-0 first-leg deficit .
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola allows Lionel Messi to extend his winter break . Argentine to miss Sunday 's clash with Levante along with Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique . The Spanish giants are also without their star striker Karim Benzema who is still recovering from a knee injury sustained in the Champions League semi-final win over Real Madrid on Wednesday night. Second-placed Real Madrid return to action on Monday with trip to Getafe .