Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde says replacing Andres Iniesta will be impossible.

Iniesta says farewell on Sunday against Real Sociedad.

"Hopefully, we'll send Andres off with a victory," Valverde told a news conference. "I don't think we'll get anybody with the same characteristics as Andres. We have to be realistic and stay faithful to our style.

"There are similar players to him, like Denis Suárez, [Carles] Aleñá, or like [Philippe] Coutinho, who maybe attacks a little more. But we have to find a solution to keep the team playing smoothly and we know that we'll need to find other solutions to replace him.

"It's been an honour to coach him this season and to enjoy him as a player."