Despite the 1-1 draw at Napoli, there were several negatives for Barcelona in the first leg of their round of 16 tie. Another disappointing away performance, their struggles to dominate when on the road, and the losses of Busquets and Vidal to suspension were the key drawbacks.
However, the most immediate worry was the injury to Gerard Pique. Late on in the San Paolo Stadium affair, the Spanish center-back hurt his ankle in what appeared to be a sprain, eventually being taken off and replaced by Lenglet.
This immediately sparked red flags as the Blaugrana’s next game is – yes, you guessed it – El Clasico. His availability for the trip to Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday came under doubt but according to some sources, the center-back is expected to be fine for the Real Madrid clash.
The likes of Cadena Ser and RAC1 report that Pique will be ready for Saturday’s crucial tie, which could be a title-decider. The Catalan giants boast a two-point lead and should they triumph at the Bernabeu, a ground where they have fared well at recently, they could go five points clear at the top
As a result, it came as little surprise that there claims were positively welcomed by Barcelona fans. Check out some of the reactions in the tweets below.
— Gerard Piqué will be able to play Sunday's Clasico at the Bernabeu, despite injury at the end of the game yesterday. [rac1] pic.twitter.com/QzWqoTmoJO
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) February 26, 2020
RAC1 just reported that Pique will be able to play Sunday's classico
— Frenkie De Xavi (@KelvinObed4) February 26, 2020
Fingers crossed pic.twitter.com/iyoUXUdLhM
PIQUE IS READY FOR #ELCLASICO! pic.twitter.com/l6MIdc5Jzg
— Goal Digger (@GoalDiggerFCB) February 26, 2020
Gerard Pique will be able to play against Real Madrid in the Clásico. [rac1] pic.twitter.com/gLl4N6nzuz
— Football Live & News (@justmeL005) February 26, 2020
The environment of Pique confirms that he is okay, and that he will play El Clasico.
— Barcelona News