Nipe source nisome mwenyew mana ww jamaa tang mda ni m-bish sana
Lionel Messi will miss Barcelona’s LaLiga opener at Athletic Bilbao
Barca boss Ernesto Valverde insisted the 32-year-old’s recovery from a calf injury is on the right track.
But he said the club would not risk their star forward before he is ready.
“We are not going to take risks and less so with Leo,” Valverde said.
“He hasn’t trained yet with the team. We will wait, but he is following a fairly good recovery process.”
Messi injured his calf in training before Barcelona’s pre-season tour of the United States early this summer and is yet to return to full training.
Messi scored 51 goals in 50 games in all competitions last term as Barca won LaLiga, reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and were runners-up in the Copa del Rey.
Despite missing Messi to start the season, Valverde still has a strong side following their big-money spending spree over the summer.
They have spent over £230million in the current transfer window but Valverde has insisted the champions won’t take their visit to Bilbao lightly.
Watch Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona for FREE: LaLiga opener details including TV channel, live stream, kick off time and team news
He added: “It’s a complicated game to start with. They have had a good pre-season and play with a lot of high pressure (on the pitch), and we have to be careful.
“We want to start off on a good note and win our third consecutive LaLiga Santander title.”
Barcelona will also be without Neto through injury while Jean-Clair Todibo, Arthur Melo, Moussa Wague and Arturo Vidal have been left out.
The last two meetings between the sides both ended in a draw but Barca won four consecutive matches against Bilbao before the 2018-19 season.
Barcelona star Lionel Messi was in incredible form last season
Bilbao coach Gaizka Garitano believes his side’s strength at the San Mames Stadium will give them an edge.
“With the atmosphere of San Mames and the closeness we achieved with the stands last season, it is as if we were playing with one more,” he said.
“Since last year we have achieved very good results at home.
“We are aware that it will be difficult but we are optimistic of making things as difficult as possible.”
Garitano also expects a strong Barcelona team, adding: “We are prepared to do it well. We are a very strong team at home.
“We hope to put on a good performance; we have to play the same game or better than last year to beat them.
“That is the goal we have in mind.”
Umeona bro.