Piqué to miss Betis game and possibly what remains of the season

On Tuesday, as Diario AS exclusively reported, Gerard Piqué underwent a series of tests which didn’t produce encouraging results - the Barca centre-back appears to have aggravated the tendinopathy affecting his left adductor and the only therapy available is to simply stop training for at least a week and re-access the situation on an ongoing basis. At the time, it was suggested that Piqué might miss Saturday’s trip to Betis and mostly likely the following game, three days later, against Celta at Camp Nou.

A couple of days after those tests, Barcelona’s Medical Services issued a report confirming that the defender’s tendon issues have worsened and confirming that he is definitively ruled out of the Betis game.

See also: Piqué caught with Shakira in his car

Barcelona keen to secure second place

But AS understands that Barça’s coaching staff have concluded that Piqué won’t play again this season, as the minimum rest time is two weeks which means that even in the best of cases, he would only be back for the final game of the season, against Villarreal at Camp Nou on 22 May. With four games remaining, Barcelona are second on 66 points - five points clear of Atlético in the fourth and last Champions League qualifying slot and eight ahead of Betis in fifth. With Barca only needing a draw against Betis to mathematically guarantee that they will be in next season’s Champions League, it looks unlikely that Piqué will return until August.

The tendinopathy which Piqué has been suffering for the past two months is considered a chronic condition, which means that sooner or later, the pains will reappear if he plays a large number of consecutive games. It’s a warning sign for the defender, and one which could force him to seriously think about his future between now and next season.