Pique to miss Barcelona's Leganes trip over personal matter

Barcelona are likely to have Thomas Vermaelen and Samuel Umtiti in the heart of defence at Leganes, as Gerard Pique misses out.

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique's absence at Butarque compounds the loss of Javier Mascherano, who is expected to miss the next month with a hamstring issue.

Gerard Pique will miss Barcelona's trip to Leganes over a "personal matter", the LaLiga leaders have confirmed.

The Spain international's absence at Butarque compounds the loss of Javier Mascherano, who is expected to miss the next month with a hamstring issue.

READ: Don't worry about Messi renewal, Valverde tells Barcelona fans

Coach Ernesto Valverde is likely to pair Samuel Umtiti with Thomas Vermaelen at the back, but also talked up his B team defenders when discussing his lack of interest in signing a new defender during Friday's pre-match news conference.

Aleix Vidal has been passed fit for the fixture after recovering from a long-term ankle injury and returning to training during the international break.