Barcelona will hope to distract from off-field issues when they visit Athletic Bilbao in the last eight of the Copa del Rey on Thursday.
Lionel Messi has become embroiled in an public spat with sporting director Eric Abidal over the decision to part with Ernesto Valverde in January, so the cup tie should serve as a welcome distraction.
Barca will view the Copa del Rey as one of their better chances of silverware this term, with Real Madrid threatening to take charge of LaLiga, while Liverpool, Manchester City and Bayern Munich are widely considered better bets for Champions League glory this season.
Bilbao beat Barca earlier in the campaign and will aim to stage another upset to reach the quarter-finals.
Date: Thursday February 5, 2020
Venue: San Mamés Stadium
Kick-off time: 8pm GMT
Prediction: Athletic Bilbao 1-2 Barcelona
Barcelona have had an inconsitent start to life under Quique Setién but tend to grind out results when it matters most. Barca lost 1-0 to Athletic Bilbao at San Mamés Stadiumearlier in the season, but have beaten Thursday's hosts three times in the cup since 2009.
Team news
Arturo Vidal, who missed Sunday's win over Levante, trained with the squad ahead of Thursday's match and has since been passed fit for the Copa tie in Bilbao.
Oumsane Dembele faces a long spell on the sidelines after suffering a serious hamstring tear on his return to training, while Luis Suarez remains sidelined.
Barcelona squad: Ter Stegen, Semedo, Piqué, Rakitic, Sergio, Arthur, Messi, Lenglet, Griezmann, Jordi Alba, Roberto, De Jong, Vidal, Umtiti, Junior, Iñaki Peña, Riqui Puig, Collado, Ansu Fati and R. Araujo
Predicted Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Junior; Busquets, De Jong, Arthur; Messi, Griezmann, Fati
Live stream
The match is not available to watch live in the UK, but you can follow our live commentary stream with Spanish football correspondent Ben Hayward.
Betting Odds
- Athletic Bilbao to win: 100/30
- Barcelona to win: Evens
- The draw: 11/4
Odds provided by Betfair Exchange. Click here for more odds.
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