As expected Leo Messi is not in the squad for Barcelona's opening match of LaLiga 19/20, this Friday in San Mamés against Athletic. The Argentinean had not been training with the rest of the squad and didn't make the final training session ahead of Barça's trip to Bilbao.

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Valverde not willing to risk anyone

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde was asked about Messi's absence in his press conference, replying: "We're not going to take risks with players and certainly not with him. He's not trained with the team since they came back and it's different to train in isolation. We'll wait a little to see how his recovery goes, it's going well I understand, but we have to wait and see".

The Argentinean suffered a calf injury back on 5 August, the same day he joined up with the team after his holidays, with the problem meaning he missed going on Barcelona's pre-season tour.

Barcelona squad for Athletic match

Also missing from the Barça squad are Arthur Melo and Arturo Vidal, along with Wague and Todibo.

Griezmann, Junior and De Jong all make their first appearance on a Barcelona squad list, while Coutinho, who is still waiting to find out about his future, is also included.

Barcelona squad

Goalkeepers: Ter Stegen and Iñaki Peña.

Defenders: Semedo, Piqué, Lenglet, Jordi Alba, Umtiti and Junior.

Midfielders: Rakitic, Busquets, Rafinha, Aleñá, Sergi Roberto and De Jong.

Forwards: Coutinho, Suárez, Dembélé, Griezmann and Carles Pérez.