Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has claimed that his casino trip with Lionel Messi and Cesc Fabregas on Saturday evening has been blown out of all proportion.

Messi and Pique were pictured at the venue in Barcelona just hours after the Catalan outfit had lost at home to Malaga in the league, while they were joined by Chelsea midfielder Fabregas.

The trip has drawn criticism in some quarters, but Pique has insisted that Barca head coach Luis Enrique knew of the visit.

"[Regarding the casino photos], we had a friend over from London and had a good time with him," Pique told reporters. "There's no confusion [with Luis Enrique]. The team are with the coach and our relationship [with him] has always been good.

"When we won 11 games in a row, nobody talked about [our relationship]. Sometimes you win one and lose another, but we'll show the critics that the squad haven't changed from three days ago."

Barca are currently in Manchester ahead of Tuesday's last-16 Champions League first leg against Manchester City.