Doctors have advised Pique to rest, but he wants to play against Athletic

Barcelona travel to Athletic on the second day of the new La Liga season and doubts have been raised about whether Pique will feature in Ronald Koeman's eleven. The club captain, who scored in the opener in the Camp Nou, ended the match against Real Sociedad with some discomfort in his calf.

It is for that reason that Barca's medical team, according to 'TV3', have advised him to take some rest. That may involve either being completely absent in matchday two, or taking a place on the bench and coming on if the situation calls for him. Logically, not taking on more minutes will help him recover a lot better.

However, the problem is that Pique doesn't want to. In the last few sessions at Barca's Sporting City, he has been training under Koeman's guidance without any issues and has said he wants to face up against Athletic. It's likely he feels this way due to his current form and wanting to continue as one of the recognisible faces in the squad after Leo Messi's departure.

The ball appears to be in the court of Ronald Koeman to talk with Pique about the situation and try and find a solution. This will involve adhering to the advice of the medical team and therefore either making him take a step back, or alternatively listen to the centre-back's requests. If the first option goes ahead, Araujo or Lenglet are likely to come in in his place.