Barcelona appeal Gerard Pique suspension ahead of crunch Valencia title clash

Undefeated La Liga leaders Barcelona hope to have Gerard Pique available for a top-of-the-table contest against closest title challengers Valencia next weekend after appealing the yellow card he received during Saturday's (18 November) win over Leganes.

The influential central defender was booked in the 29th minute of a comfortable 3-0 victory at the Estadio Municipal Butarque after appearing to pull back Watford loanee Nordin Amrabat.

Such a caution was Pique's fifth of the season in league competition, meaning he will incur an automatic one-match suspension when Barcelona travel to the Mestalla on Sunday [26 November].

However, the Blaugrana, currently four points clear of second-place Valencia and 10 ahead of Madrid duo Real and Atletico, have now attempted to rescind that costly yellow plus the one received by Luis Suarez.

The Uruguay striker was harshly carded by referee Undiano Mallenco seven minutes into the second half after tussling with Ivan Cuellar and later celebrated his second goal of the afternoon directly in front of the Leganes goalkeeper, whom he evidently felt had feigned contact.

"FC Barcelona informs that it has decided to appeal to the competition committee for the yellow cards shown to Gerard Pique and Luis Suarez during the course of Leganes-FC Barcelona," Barcelona confirmed in a statement released via their official website.

Head coach Ernesto Valverde can ill-afford to be without Pique for such an important fixture, particularly with Javier Mascherano ruled out for four weeks as the result of a right hamstring injury suffered while on international duty with Argentina against Nigeria in Russia.

If his yellow is not overturned and Valverde opts against fielding Lucas Digne as a makeshift centre-back and does not consider any potential B team options such as David Costas, he will likely be forced to play Thomas Vermaelen against surprise contenders Valencia.

The injury-plagued former Arsenal captain has not played a single Spanish top-flight match since the 6-0 drubbing of Getafe in March 2016 and spent last season on loan at AS Roma, where he made only 11 appearances.

While he has been an unused substitute for three La Liga matches and the goalless Champions League draw with Olympiacos, the latter after Pique was suspended, his only appearance of 2017-18 to date came in a much-changed side that beat third-tier Murcia last month in the first leg of a Copa del Rey fourth-round clash.

Barcelona, who visit Group D rivals Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday, were also without Andre Gomes, Sergi Roberto, Arda Turan, Ousmane Dembele and Rafinha Alcantara against Leganes, although right-back Aleix Vidal came off the bench to play 31 minutes after missing four games with an ankle injury.