BARCA DEALT BLOW
Barcelona have been dealt a major blow ahead of the crucial Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid with the news that defender Gerard Pique could miss up to 4 weeks of action after suffering a fractured hip.
He is one of the important players at the club and it only grew after the absence of Carlos Puyol who will now leave the club at the end of the season. Pique had been playing along with Javier Mascherano, who is midfielder by trade, in order to solve the defensive crisis at the club.
With a number of important matches coming up in the near future, this is a major blow for Barcelona. The matches include the Champions League second leg quarter-final against Atletico Madrid and the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid. They will be a week apart from each other, while the Catalans also have to consider the league matches as well. They are in a title race along with both the Madrid clubs with very little separating the three teams. Gerardo Martino has already come under a lot of pressure for being unable to deliver results, and the absence of other key name could prove to be costly.
Pique suffered this injury in the 1-1 draw against Atletico in the first leg. Atletico also lost an important player in the form of Diego Costa, who appeared to have suffered a hamstring injury. However, the away goal that they have secured at the Camp Nou will prove to be massive, as they look to reach the European cup semi-final for the first time in more than 40 years. In the absence of Pique, it is highly likely that Barcelona will resort to using Marc Batra, who has never enjoyed the trust and patience from Barcelona managers in the past.