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Messi and Suarez out for Barca as Athletic seek Cup revenge

Xinhua, January 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

FC Barcelona will be without strikers Luis Suarez and Leo Messi when they travel to Athletic Club Bilbao' s San Mames Stadium for the first leg of their Spanish Cup quarter-final on Wednesday.

The game is a repeat of last season' s final, which Barca win 3-1 and comes just three days after Barca defeated Athletic 6-0 in the BBVA Primera Liga in the Camp Nou.

However, Sunday' s result should have little relevance on a game which was over in the 4th minute when Athletic were reduced to 10 men after Gorka Iraizoz was sent off for committing a penalty and Messi had put Barca 1-0 ahead with 86 minutes remaining against a side with a player less on the pitch.

Athletic' s players commented after that match that Sunday would be different and with Messi carrying a muscle problem and Suarez suspended they will be. Athletic will also have striker Aritz Aduriz fresh and available after missing out at the weekend and a packed house to make life a lot more hostile for the Cup holders.

The other quarter-finals see Celta Vigo entertain league leaders Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night, while Thursday sees Sevilla entertain second division Mirandes and Valencia try to forget their league woes at home to Las Palmas.

The return legs are the following week. Endit