Starting XI: Barca vs Athletic

He’s now contracted to play for the side until 2019, so it’s quite unlikely Barcelona will make a move for him any time soon.

“They will be intense, hard working tactically and physically, and they have quality young players”. But that situation is not the only complication ahead of the meeting with Athletic.

“When we decided what we were going to do, I was excited”. His situation is a contradiction because he wants to stay but he always wants more minutes. Not for money as has been said, which is another lack of respect.

And he also hit back at Barca technical secretary Robert Fernandez for claiming that he asked to leave the club, citing that statement as “unfortunate”.

Barcelona will enter this match as newly-crowned winners of the European Super Cup, courtesy of a 5-4 extra-time victory over Sevilla on Tuesday.

Suarez then made it 4-1 early in the second half, but remarkably Sevilla produced a stunning fightback as goals from Jose Antonio Reyes, Kevin Gameiro and Yevhen Konoplyanka took the game into extra time.

Bilbao will be without several key players for Friday’s Spanish Super Cup clash, with Ander Iturraspe and Mikel Rico both expected to miss out on starting spots.

“For the fans it was the kind of spectacle you rarely see. We are friends and he gives a lot to the team”, Busquets said, according to Goal.

Although Valverde remains confident Balenziaga will be fit for Friday’s match at San Mames – with the defender a chance to man-mark Lionel Messi as he did in the 2015 Copa del Rey final – Bilbao’s coach insisted his squad will be more undermanned than Luis Enrique’s visitors. This will come in handy this week, when they only have three days to recuperate their strength after taking on Sevilla in Tbilisi.

This first leg game will take place at San Mames, before the teams resume the two-legged tie at the Nou Camp on Monday.

There is also another factor to consider, with Neymar’s absence making Messi an even more likely scorer. “There is no choice but to try and overcome it and get the best out of the team. At the moment we don’t and that damages us”.