Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola admits they're battling history, along with an in-form Deportivo La Coruna, today.

Barca were not entirely convincing in last Sunday's home win over Real Madrid in 'El Clasico' and needed two moments of brilliance from Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to brush aside bottom club Xerez on Wednesday.

Barca now travel to in-form Deportivo and Guardiola expects another difficult match.

"Barca have only won in Coruna three times in the last 17 years," he said.

"It's very important that we win - they are a great team and it's a difficult ground to go to, so a win would give us a big boost."

Last season's treble winners have drawn three of their last four league matches on the road and were far from their brilliant best as they laboured to a 2-0 win at Xerez in midweek.

And Guardiola wants to see an improvement tomorrow.

"There will not be a repeat of a game like the one in Jerez," he said.

"We are not happy just to win, because we always have to try to do better - that is how we have won people's respect and we have to keep on winning their respect."