Luis Enrique's key quotes ahead of Barcelona's Bilbao date with Athletic Club

On the tough Champions League draw: 

"It’s an incredible competition, super attractive for everyone - players, managers, fans. It’s wonderful and we’d love to win it all the time. The draw doesn’t surprise us, we know that the Champions League will be demanding. But it’s the league that marks your season, where you play each team twice and the team with the most points wins. In the Champions League there are different factors. We start with one of the favourites in [Manchester] City, with all the morbo it brings with [Pep] Guardiola and Claudio Bravo. I’m glad that it is City, because Bravo can say goodbye to the fans and they can show him their affection. We knew before the draw it would be a tough group. We knew we would draw Celtic, that’s why we played them in a friendly [he joked]." 

On facing Athletic Club: 

"The fact that their market is limited [can only sign Basques] means they’re always similar. First of all it’s a pleasure to play at San Mames and we’re focused on the way Valverde will complicate things - pressing high, creating problems on the second balls. It’s one of the most difficult away games in La Liga. San Mames is an incredible stadium, the atmosphere is similar to English football. Valverde is very intelligent. They’re a hard working team, I like watching them play, it’s never not tough against them.

"They will make it tough for us to get the ball back when we lose it. They will create pressure up the field, and have dangerous players like Raúl García and [Aritz] Aduriz who are powerful with ball and in the aerial game, not to mention Iñaki Williams when he's out on the wing and has the ball in deep. It won't be easy. Not now. Not ever. And my players know that. But professional footballers love playing in places like that."

On Sergi Samper loan to Granada: 

"In Samper's case, the player had doubts over whether to stay and play less or going on loan and being able to play and then come back and see if his level is adequate [to play here]. The decision belonged to the player. There are examples of players who have stayed, like Sergi Roberto, but also others who’ve done the same and not made it. Others have gone on loan and then returned. It depends on what the players thinks the solution should be. Samper’s chosen well, his manager [Paco Jemez] likes good football."

On Paco Alcacer:

"I only speak about players at Barcelona."