FC Barcelona News: 23 October 2012; Gerard Pique Ruled Out of Celtic Clash, Barça Appeal Mascherano Red Card

First team prepares for Champions League showdown with Celtic | FC Barcelona
Sergio Busquets, who is suspended for tomorrow’s match, is the main absentee. In addition to Busquets, Alves, Piqué, Puyol, Thiago, Cuenca and Muniesa will also miss the match. Tello, one of the goal-scorers against Deportivo, and Sergi Roberto were both named to the team.

Barça to appeal Mascherano's red card | FC Barcelona
The Club will appeal the red card that was shown to Javier Mascherano during the Deportivo-FC Barcelona match this weekend. The Blaugrana defender was given his second yellow card on 49 minutes for "knocking down an opponent while disputing the ball," according to referee Paradas Romero’s post-match report. The player picked up his first yellow card on the 20th minute.

Tito Vilanova: "We need to recover from the effort we put in against Depor" | FC Barcelona
When asked about tomorrow’s rival, Vilanova expects a Celtic side "that will close themselves off at the back and look to counter, we know how dangerous they are." The manager also noted that Celtic managed to draw with Benfica and defeat Spartak.

Pedro: "It would be good to win so we can solidify our position in the group" | FC Barcelona
"We’re playing at home, and it would be good to win so we can solidify our position in the group. A victory would help us advance in the competition," said the Barça forward, just before noting that he’s aware that Celtic "are a very difficult opponent, they close themselves off at the back and they’re very dangerous on the counter."

Barça v Celtic: Did you know... | FC Barcelona
The two sides have met four times at the Camp Nou, with two Barça win (1964/65 and 2007/08 season) and two draws (2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons). FC Barcelona has entertained Scottish teams five times, and the only time they lost was 2-1 to Dundee United in the 1986/87 season.

How Messi went from injury-prone teenager to bionic man - Goal.com
It was his seventh injury in the space of two years and the fourth in that particular place. A brilliant career appeared in danger and Barcelona, understandably, were worried.But thanks to the incredible efforts behind the scenes at Barca, Messi has barely been sidelined since.

Mallorca-FC Barcelona, scheduled for Sunday, November 11, at 17.50 | FC Barcelona
The LFP announced that La Liga’s Matchday 11 clash between Mallorca and Barça will be played on Sunday, November 11, at 17.50. It’s worth noting that Barça’s next two La Liga matches will be on Satrudays: October 27, at 22.00, away to Rayo, and November 3, at 18.00, against Celta at the Camp Nou.

Nokia India become FC Barcelona regional partner for the whole of India | FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona and Nokia India signed an agreement in New Delhi today which means the company will become the Club’s regional partner in India, Nokia India has thus become the first ever company in India to be associated with the Club in this way. The agreement was presented by D. Shivakumar - the Senior Vice President of Nokia IMEA and the Director General of FC Barcelona, Antoni Rossich.

Zinedine Zidane denies rift with Jose Mourinho - ESPNFC
Reports in Marca last month suggested that Zidane was unhappy at being sidelined by Mourinho, however, he has rubbished such stories. "I have no problem with Mourinho," Zidane told Sport365. "On the contrary, I have learned a lot from him."

Injuries hit Madrid ahead of Dortmund clash - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
Germany midfielder Sami Khedira returned to training on Sunday, a rare piece of positive injury news for Jose Mourinho's Madrid team who are two points ahead of Dortmund in the group. Full backs Marcelo, Alvaro Arbeloa and Fabio Coentrao returned from international duty with problems of varying seriousness, Marcelo being ruled out for around three months with a fractured bone in his foot.

Guaita ruled out for Valencia | Football Espana
Valencia goalkeeper Vicente Guaita has been ruled out of Tuesday’s Group F Champions League game with BATE Borisov, reports AS. The 25-year-old is has not recovered from a bout of gastroenteritis that saw him reportedly vomited on arrival at the airport in Belarus on Monday.

Negredo double helps Sevilla down Mallorca - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
The Spain striker smashed a shot high into the net to level at 1-1 in the 29th minute and headed inside the near post to equalise again early in the second half, before Brazilian Cicinho struck a deflected volley for the winner. Sevilla ended a run of two consecutive defeats to climb to 14 points from eight games, the same as champions Real Madrid in fourth, and eight short of leaders Barcelona.

Sevilla's Piotr Trochowski out for eight months - ESPNFC
Sevilla will be without Germany midfielder Piotr Trochowski for up to eight months after he underwent knee surgery. The Primera Division club confirmed that Trochowski, 28, had undergone surgery at the Vail Valley Medical Centre in the US to repair damaged cartilage in his right knee.