Barcelona's Pique ruled out against Zaragoza

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona will be without defender Gerard Pique for Saturday's Spanish league match at Zaragoza due to a leg injury.

The Spanish champions say Pique's left thigh muscle needs more time to recover after the Spain international came off during Tuesday's 3-1 Champions League victory over AC Milan with the problem.

Pique had rediscovered his best form after a mostly inconsistent season, earning praise from coach Pep Guardiola in the buildup to the Champions League quarterfinals victory.

Pique has scored twice in 32 appearances for the European champions, who trail Real Madrid by six points in the chase for a fourth straight league trophy.

Guardiola has 19 players available for the match at La Romareda Stadium.