Barcelona begin the defence of their La Liga title away to Athletic Bilbao on Friday, but they are sweating on the fitness of star man Lionel Messi.
The prolific No. 10 is dealing with a calf problem, and Ernesto Valverde hasn’t expressed confidence his best player will be ready for the season opener.
However, the Barca manager will still have an ample array of attacking talent to choose from, including big-money summer import Antoine Griezmann.
Athletic’s chances of causing an upset will hinge on dynamic forward Inaki Williams, who put pen to paper on a new deal set to run for nine years on Monday.
A goal against the champions at San Mames would be the ideal way for the 25-year-old to celebrate.
FC Barcelona Vs Ath Bilbao
Date: Friday, August 16
Time: 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET
TV Info: beIN Sports
Live Stream: fuboTV
Predicted Lineups
| Athletic Bilbao | Herrerin; de Marcos, Alvarez, Martinez, Berchiche; San Jose, D. Garcia; Muniain, R. Garcia, Ibai; Williams. |
| Barcelona | ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; de Jong, Rakitic, Vidal; Dembele, Griezmann, Suarez. |
