Barcelona defender, Gerard Pique says the club’s defeat against Deportivo La Coruna in La Liga was expected after midweek comeback against Paris Saint-Germain.

Barca made headlines around the world on Wednesday when they overturned a four-goal deficit against PSG to progress to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.

However, Barcelona was on Sunday beaten 2-1 by Deportivo as they suffered a UEFA hangover.

Pique told reporters, “Everyone connected to Barcelona would have signed up to comeback against PSG and lose to Deportivo.

“That is sport. We’re not machines. After Wednesday’s effort it made it difficult to compete. We have to congratulate Deportivo, they’re deserved winners.”

However, Pique was keen not to be seen to be using the game against PSG as an excuse for droppING points.

“[Depor] also played in midweek [a 1-1 draw with Real Betis],” he pointed out.

“It’s not an excuse. The calendar is tough for everyone. Every game demands a huge effort. It’s a step back, but in the last few months we’ve seen that all teams can drop points.”