Gerard Pique: Barcelona 'Mentally Affected' by Roma Defeat for Liverpool Loss

Gerard Pique has said Barcelona have found it difficult to recover after their 4-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield that saw them knocked out the UEFA Champions League.

Barca looked to have one foot in the final after they beat Liverpool 3-0 at the Camp Nou in the first leg of their last-four tie.

However, they let their lead slip in catastrophic fashion for the second time in as many years in Europe's elite competition:

In 2017-18, they lost 3-0 away to Roma in the quarter-final second leg to go out despite winning the first leg 4-1.

Per El Pais (h/t Marca), Pique believes the defeat in the Italian capital played a part in what happened at Anfield:

"When something like that happens, everything or almost everything goes wrong. I think people were mentally affected by what happened in Rome because it had happened so recently. It was a mental block.

"They pressed very high, we lacked our usual passing rhythm, and it was very intense. Anfield also played its role. It's been hard to lift ourselves up emotionally because the days passed but the loss wasn't forgotten. We have to step forward."

After the first leg against Liverpool, Barcelona looked on track for a third treble in just over a decade.

Instead, they will have to settle for a double at best.

They won La Liga at a canter, eventually finishing 11 points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid:

Now they have one more game remaining of the season, Saturday's Copa del Rey final against Valencia in Seville.

Barca are favourites to prevail, not least as they are the four-time defending champions of the tournament.

However, they are up against a Valencia side in fine form.

Los Che won their last three games of the La Liga season to claim the final UEFA Champions League qualification spot, and they held Barca to draws both home and away in the 2018-19 campaign.

Given Pique has admitted Barca are still reeling from their loss to Liverpool, Valencia may well fancy their chances of causing an upset.