Luis Enrique’s side head to the San Mames in great form, having lost on only one occasion since November, although that did come in the Basque region against David Moyes’s Real Sociedad in December.
The home side, meanwhile, are languishing down in an unfamiliar 12th place in the league with just six victories to their name in the league all season long.
And Barca left-back Jordi Alba thinks the Catalans have now finally found their form under their new manager, with the visitors currently on a run of eight straight wins in both league and cup.
"After that defeat [at Sociedad] the team found the game we wanted," Alba said in the pre-match press conference.
"Luis Enrique requires you to be on top of your game all the time and you learn a lot from him about the game."
However, the Spain international also knows that facing Athletic on the road is never an easy challenge, as the visitors found out last season when defeat at the San Mames all but cost them the title.
"In Bilbao we always go with the same idea: keep the ball, deploy our game," he added.
"They are a young team that likes to play football and are very dangerous in the air, which is something which must be taken into account.
"They are a dangerous rival."
Valverde’s men are currently unbeaten in their last four fixtures in all competitions, but the coach knows that recent good run will be tested to the full this weekend against a side whose front two - Lionel Messi and Neymar - have shared 54 goals between them this campaign.
"The theory is easy; the problem is the practice," he said.
"We are in a more or less on a streak and the real test will come on Sunday against Barca."
