Gerard Pique likely to miss PSG second leg with knee injury
By Ross Jackson
Gerard Pique has suffered a recurrence of the knee injury which ruled him out for three months earlier in the season and now looks unlikely to be fit for Barcelona's Champions League second leg tie with Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
The former Spain international originally suffered the injury against Atletico Madrid back in November and was subsequently sidelined until late February.
Pique opted against surgery in a bid to speed up his recovery time, though in hindsight that seems to have been a rash move.
The defender collapsed in a heap during extra-time of his side's superb 3-2 aggregate comeback win over Sevilla in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night, with Barça revealing via their official website that the 34-year-old now looks set for a further spell on the treatment table.
"The medical assessment and tests performed this morning have shown that first team player Gerard Pique has a sprain in the internal lateral ligament of his right knee," the club's statement read. "He is therefore unavailable and the evolution of the injury will determine when he returns.
"The Barça centre-back was a starter and played the 120 minutes in the superb win against Sevilla, as well as being one of the great protagonists of the night, leading the heroic comeback with a goal in added time that allowed Barça to force extra-time."
The club have yet to put a timeframe on Pique's injury, but with Barcelona's Champions League clash with PSG on the horizon, it seems unlikely the defender will play any part in their bid to overturn the 4-1 deficit from the first leg.
Ronald Koeman now faces and anxious wait for news on the severity of his star defender's injury, with potentially crucial domestic fixtures against Real Sociedad and Real Madrid also taking place in the coming months.