Summary Defenders Jordi Alba and Jeremy Mathieu also miss out due to injuries
BARCELONA (AFP) - Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez will miss holders Barcelona s first-leg Copa del Rey quarter-final away to Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday and are absent from Luis Enrique s 18-man squad.
Messi came off at half-time as Barca thrashed Athletic 6-0 in La Liga on Sunday and hasn t been risked despite scans ruling out a hamstring injury.
Suarez scored a hat-trick at the weekend, but he completes a two-game Cup ban for confronting Espanyol players in the tunnel at the end of a fiery first-leg in the previous round.
However, the Uruguayan had still been expected to travel to Bilbao with Barca s final appeal against the ban to Spain s Court of Arbitration for Sport not being held until Wednesday afternoon.
Defenders Jordi Alba and Jeremy Mathieu also miss out due to hamstring and calf injuries respectively.
