Barcelona team news: Injury, suspension list vs. Athletic Bilbao

Xavi's men have overcome two lower-league outfits in Barbastro and Unionistas to make it this far, sinking the former 3-2 before battling to a 3-1 away win over the latter team earlier this month.

Victory over Athletic would mark a third win in a row for Barca across all tournaments, as thanks in no small part to a Ferran Torres hat-trick, the Blaugrana beat Real Betis 4-2 in La Liga action over the weekend.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up Barcelona's latest injury and suspension news ahead of their clash with Athletic, whose last-32 clash with Eibar ended in a routine 3-0 triumph.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen

Status: Out

Type of injury: Back

Possible return date: Unknown

Marc-Andre ter Stegen is on the mend after undergoing back surgery in November, and the German goalkeeper is still facing another few weeks on the sidelines.

Gavi

Status: Out

Type of injury: Knee

Possible return date: Unknown

Ter Stegen was not the only November international casualty for Barcelona, whose former Kopa Trophy winner Gavi sustained an ACL injury while playing for Spain, and he is not expected to feature again this season.

Marcos Alonso

Status: Out

Type of injury: Back

Possible return date: Unknown

Marcos Alonso joins Ter Stegen on the back injuries list, having also been forced to go under the knife to treat a similar problem, and the left-back is expected to return to action at some point in the spring.

Inigo Martinez

Status: Out

Type of injury: Muscle

Possible return date: Unknown

Inigo Martinez, whose fledgling Barcelona career has been plagued by fitness concerns, aggravated a previous hamstring issue against Barbastro and will be absent for at least another couple of weeks.

Andreas Christensen

Status: Minor doubt

Type of injury: Ankle

Possible return date: January 24 (vs. Athletic)

Andreas Christensen only lasted until half time in the 3-1 beating of Unionistas due to discomfort in his ankles, but subsequent assessments have ruled out a significant injury, and he could be back in action on Wednesday.

Joao Cancelo

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Knee

Possible return date: January 24 (vs. Athletic Bilbao)

On-loan Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo missed Barcelona's unsuccessful Supercopa de Espana campaign and their meetings with Unionistas and Betis due to a knee strain, but he is believed to be in with a chance of making the squad in midweek.

Raphinha

Status: Out

Type of injury: Thigh

Possible return date: January 31 (vs. Osasuna)

Raphinha's Super Cup campaign ended prematurely as he sustained a thigh injury in Barca's semi-final beating of Osasuna, although he could potentially make his return against the same opponents later this month.

BARCELONA'S SUSPENSION LIST

Barcelona have no players suspended for this match.