Barcelona will be without captain Lionel Messi for their opening La Liga fixture of the 2019-20 season against Athletic Bilbao on Friday.
The Argentina international has been left out of the squad for the trip to San Mames after failing to fully recover from a calf injury picked up in training.
The injury ruled him out of Barcelona’s pre-season tour of the United States, and although he has returned to training he is not quite ready for Friday’s clash.
Manager Ernesto Valverde said in his pre-match presser that he was not willing to risk Messi, and Barca will have to cope without their talisman as they begin the defence of their title.