La Liga: Gerard Pique ruled out, Luis Enrique to rethink Barcelona defence against Las Palmas
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique will be forced to rejig his defence against Las Palmas on Sunday after centre back Gerard Pique was ruled out of their penultimate league game in a gripping La Liga title race.
Pique was left out of the squad for the long flight to the Canary Islands after the club announced the defender had been taken to hospital with stomach pains, leaving Barca short-staffed at the back.
As well as missing Pique, Barca will be without Sergi Roberto through suspension and Jeremy Mathieu and Aleix Vidal through injury although left-back Lucas Digne returned from a muscle problem to boost Luis Enrique’s side.
Pique, known for his business interests outside of soccer, was in the Spanish capital this week attending the Madrid Open and trying to progress his plan to set up a new international tennis tournament to rival the Davis Cup.
Luis Enrique could return to the 3-4-3 formation he used during March but which has fallen out of favour in recent weeks.
The coach, however, kept his cards close to his chest when asked how he will cope with the sudden scarcity of defenders.
“I have different options in how I prepare for the game and my players are ready and …read more
