Barcelona coach Xavi has admitted his admiration for Athletic Bilbao striker Nico Williams.

Barca meet Athletic on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey quarterfinal.

Xavi said: “Nico seems like an exceptional player to me.

"Good on both the right and left wing, he can go one against one, he is fast and has goals in him. This year he has exploded in his goal-scoring role. He is a footballer who can make a difference and will be difficult to stop when he has space to run into. He is a great player."

He also said: “We are playing for a title, heads or tails, against a rival that we didn't want. At San Mames, with their fans. They are one of the most in-form teams in the league, even if they lost in Valencia. They do things very well and they put a lot of pressure on you. It is a very complicated task, but we are prepared. We are getting back to feeling good and playing well. It is a great game and I hope it will be a great show. We are three games away from the Cup final."

“Ernesto (Valverde) is one of the best coaches on the Spanish scene. They have a very high defensive line and we will have to play out of the pressure. It will be very different from the Betis game."