Their
11-game winning streak may have come to an abrupt end on the pitch after
Saturday's horror show against Malaga, but Barcelona's Lionel Messi and
Gerrard Pique were out and about the following night.
Amidst
renewed talks of crisis at the Nou Camp after Juanmi's goal sent the La
Liga title challengers crashing to their first home defeat since
November 1, the pair were spotted outside the Casino de Barcelona at
around midnight on Sunday.
Messi
and Pique caught up with Chelsea midfielder and former Nou Camp
team-mate Cesc Fabregas outside the Barcelona setting that houses poker
tournaments, roulette and blackjack tables and serves a range of
gastronomic delights in its numerous restaurants.
Gerard Pique (left) and Cesc Fabregas in conversation outside the Casino de Barcelona on Sunday night
Pique (centre) and Fabregas (left) were joined by Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi (second right)
Fabregas' wife Daniella Semaan posted this picture on Instagram wife Messi's wife Antonella Roccuzzo
Messi catches up with former team-mate Fabregas but the weekend wasn't all fun and games for Barcelona
The Casino de Barcelona with its beach-side location is a popular spot for stars and tourists alike
The Barcelona forward arrives at Manchester Airport ahead of their Champions League clash with City
The squad arrived at 12.20pm UK time, 13 hours after Messi was spotted outside the Barcelona casino
A shades- wearing Neymar arrives alongside his Barcelona team-mates in front of awaiting supporters
Luis Suarez's hands were full upon arrival and he will be hoping to give Manchester City the same problem
Defender Javier Mascherano signed autographs and posed for pictures with Barcelona supporters
And
while the boys from Barcelona were out together, Fabregas'
wife Daniella Semaan posted a picture of herself enjoying a night in
with Lionel Messi's other half Antonella Roccuzzo 'back home' in
Barcelona.
Returning
to his hometown to meet his former colleagues at the beach venue,
Chelsea midfielder Fabregas will have brought his own tales of woe to
distract his pals from their state of sorrow.
With
his team on the end of some debatable refereeing decisions during their
ill-tempered 1-1 draw against Burnley the previous day - just ask Jose
Mourinho - Fabregas will be looking ahead to Sunday's Capital One Cup
final clash with London rivals Tottenham, hoping that fortune will
favour his side at Wembley.
Messi
and Pique will no doubt be wishing their luck will also change after
Saturday's loss as the Catalans' disappointing show meant they missed
out on the opportunity to leapfrog arch rivals Real Madrid at the top of
the La Liga table, and a win for Carlo Ancelotti's side the following
day opened up a four-point gap.
Both
players were subject to some criticism during the defeat, with Messi's
performance at the Nou Camp, despite showing flickers of brightness,
described as 'fretful' by Sportsmail's Oliver Holt.
Two
goals would have drawn him level with old foe Cristiano Ronaldo in the
race for the 'Pichichi' (top scorer) trophy. Instead, his fruitless
afternoon saw him fall further behind the Portuguese after his strike on
Sunday capped a 2-0 win for Real at Elche.
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