Barcelona’s Gerard Pique is reportedly prepared to play through the pain barrier in order to make the Clasico this weekend.
The defender has been out of action since mid-September’s Champions League opener with Spartak Moscow, when he sprained his left foot.
Pique has since been reported as the least likely of Barca’s walking wounded to recover in time for Sunday’s clash with Real Madrid, as he faced a three-week recovery period, but Sport report that he is pushing to be back.
The match falls on the three-week mark since his injury, but it is understood that rehabilitation on the foot, which was in a protective cast for 10 days, has not gone as smoothly as first planned.
However, news that Carles Puyol is now out for two months with a dislocated elbow has reportedly accelerated the club’s plans to bring back Pique, with the defender enduring a double-training session yesterday and set for another today to boost his fitness.
The player is then scheduled to return to the rest of the group for a workout on Friday, when he will be able to wear boots for the first time since, whilst his condition will be assessed after Saturday’s session.
Should Pique not make the match this weekend, Barca are thought likely to otherwise field Alex Song alongside Javier Mascherano in the centre of defence.
Meanwhile, Andres Iniesta is expected to be fit for the game, after coming off the bench against Benfica on Tuesday and since continuing his improvement from a thigh injury that ruled him out of the last three weeks.
