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Andres Iniesta will miss Barcelona' trip to Athletic Bilbao with a thigh injury
Jordi Alba and Javier Mascherano have recovered from injury and illness
Head coach Ernest Valverde is says returning to his former club is 'special'

Published: 18:31 EDT, 27 October 2017 | Updated: 18:31 EDT, 27 October 2017

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Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta will miss Saturday's La Liga fixture against Athletic Bilbao after picking up a thigh injury.

Head coach Ernesto Valverde confirmed that Iniesta will not make the trip to Bilbao after pulling a muscle in his right thigh, with Thomas Vermaelen also unavailable, nursing a hip injury.

Ousmane Dembele, Rafinha, Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal had already been ruled out because of long-term problems.

Star men Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have a chat during Barcelona training on Friday

Denis Suarez (left), Gerard Pique (C) and Sergio Busquets (right) share joke on during drills

Captain Andres Iniesta will not be part of the Barcelona travelling party at Athletic Bilbao

For head coach Ernesto Valverde it is a 'special' fixture as he returns to his former club

Jordi Alba had been listed as doubtful because of his fitness but he has been cleared to play. As has Javier Mascherano, who missed practice Friday because of a fever, but he is expected to recover.

'Athletic is a dangerous side and they always give it everything,' said Barca boss Valverde, who is returning to the club he left to take over at the Nou Camp in the summer.

'For me it's a special game. A lot of things link me to Athletic, but on Saturday I am the opponent.

Jasper Cillessen keeps his eye on the ball as Samuel Umtiti and Lucas Digne keep an eye on him

French defender Umtiti gestures during the training session at the Joan Gamper Sports Centre

'Athletic always find it tough at the start of the season, get used to changes and furthermore, they had have important injuries.

'They are a team who get better as the competition goes on and they always end the season well. It's obvious though that they have the quality to put in a great performance.'

Barcelona have a four-point lead over Valencia in La Liga, but the second-place tean can pull within one point as they play struggling Alaves earlier on Saturday.