Friday 30 November 2012 13:00, UK
Barcelona midfielder Thiago has warned his side they cannot afford to let their thoughts wander to the Madrid derby when they host Athletic Bilbao.
Thiago also paid tribute to his team-mate, but said those around him deserved as much credit. "One scores the goals and others give the final pass," he said. "I don't see much difference between Andras, Leo and Xavi." While Barca have won 12 and drawn one of their opening 13 league games, Athletic's concerns still lie with moving further clear from the bottom three. Last season's Europa League and Copa Del Rey finalists have started the season slowly and were hammered 5-1 by Real two weeks ago. Thiago said: "They've gone down compared to last year. The departure of Javi Martinez (who joined Bayern Munich) has affected them a bit, but they have quality players and at any moment they can go up again." Barca are still missing Alexis Sanchez through injury, but, like Thiago, David Villa played the whole game against Alaves as he continued his recovery from the broken ankle he suffered last season. The Spain striker said he has been training since Monday with not ankle problems. Bilbao boss Marcelo Bielsa could make changes after visitors had a trip to Israel in midweek for their rescheduled Europa League clash against Ironi Kiryat Shmona, which they won 2-1.