FC Barcelona have confirmed that defender Gerard Pique suffered an injury to his calf during the 1-1 draw with Athletic Club on Saturday night.
The injury occurred in half an hour in Bilbao, when the Spaniard aggravated a niggle he had picked up during training earlier this week.
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Coach Ronald Koeman suggested after the match that the defender could be in shape as soon as next week, but that may not be the case.
Barça announced on Sunday that the test results have confirmed that Pique suffered a strain in his left leg, which means he can be suspended for up to two weeks on the side.
Journalist Javi Miguel also reports that Pique will be out of action for two weeks, which means he will miss Blaugrana’s clash with Getafe next Sunday. However, he should be fit to face Sevilla on 12 September.
Pique have had a hectic couple of weeks in Catalonia, having won all the praise for selflessly accepting a pay cut to allow Barça to register their new signings for the 2021/22 campaign.
He followed up that generosity by scoring the first goal of the campaign in Barcelona’s 4-2 victory over Real Sociedad, but his hero models will have to sit in the back seat for the next fourteen days as he recovers from this fitness issue.
Coach Koeman will have a lot to think about when choosing his back line for Getafe’s trip to Camp Nou, as he will have to do without Pique and his new partner, Eric Garcia. The former Manchester City man received a red card in injury time against Bilbao and left him suspended for the next match.
It limits the Dutchman’s opportunities considerably, and he may have to turn to injured Samuel Umtiti to step in, despite the Frenchman being told he is free to leave the club this summer.
