Fresh from their victory over Sevilla in the Super Cup, Barcelona will now be aiming for a second trophy when they face Athletic Bilbao. The last encounter ended in a nine goal thriller with Man United bound Pedro scoring in the dying moments to give his side the victory.
Team News
Ernesto Valverde will be without a host of players for Friday's encounter with both Mikel Rico and Ander Iturraspe set to miss out. Inaki Williams is edging closer to full fitness but might not be able to make into the squad for the match against Barcelona. Whereas Iker Muniain's injury concerns are not expected to end soon and Bilbao's star man is likely to stay on the side lines. Kike Sola however has recovered from a knock and is set to partner Aritz Aduriz upfront.
Barcelona on the other hand have uncertainty over the fitness of Andres Iniesta who suffered an injury in the match against Sevilla last time out. Jordi Alba and Neymar on the other hand will continue to nurse their respective injuries. Neymar's absence could open up the door for a starting role for Pedro with manager Luis Enrique insisting that he is in contention for a role in the starting line-up.
"We've heard his opinions, it's a difficult decision that he has to make but we'll wait and see what he decides," Luis Enrique said at a press conference.
"He wants to leave because he's not getting minutes but we want to give him minutes so it's a difficult situation. I certainly want him to stay.
"I'm looking forward to the end of the transfer market so I'll know exactly what I do have.
"I don't want to get drawn into controversies, we all understand Pedro's situation, he's always someone the Barca fans will love because of his personality and his performances on the pitch."
"I haven't announced my squad and I don't base my squad around what's happening in the transfer market. He's available so he can play.
Man to watch out for
All eyes will once again be on the mercurial Lionel Messi who enjoys a terrific record against his opponents on Friday, having scored 17 and assisted eight against them in just 22 matches. He scored the opening two goals for Barca against Sevilla last time out and will once again be hoping to get on the score sheet.
Barcelona enjoy a decent record against Athletic Bilbao having managed victories in 104 out of the 213 games played having scored 396 goals in the process. 
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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