Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique at casino before city matchday

Manchester City were given grounds for encouragement in their Champions League clash with Barcelona after the Spanish side's coach Luis Enrique refused to defend Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique over a late-night casino visit made hours before their flight to England.

Pique asserted his right to be with Messi and Cesc Fabregas at the casino, in the basement of a hotel building on the Barcelona sea front. “It is my private life. We just had a nice time there,“ the defender said.

Messi's justification for visiting a casino 11 hours before the Barça squad's f light to Manchester is thought to be that he was visiting Fabregas, who has an apartment in the complex. While this is not likely to become a disciplinary issue, the coach was clearly not happy to be confronted with it on the eve of the season's most important game so far.

Asked about the casino visit, Enrique initially poured scorn on his questioner. When told of Pique's defence, he said: "I concentrate on football not stuff outside it."