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The blaugrana could be left without a key figure when they face the bianconeri in the group stage of the Champions League this week
Philippe Coutinho will miss Barcelona’s trip to Juventus after sustaining a hamstring injury, and the club confirmed the extent of the problem on Sunday.
Coutinho has re-emerged as a vital member of the Barça squad since returning to the Camp Nou earlier this summer.
The Brazilian flopped in his first season at Camp Nou following a £ 142 million ($ 185 million) move from Liverpool in 2018, and was subsequently sent on loan to Bayern Munich.
He helped Bayern win a domestic treble last season, and even scored against his parent club in an impressive 8-2 quarter-final triumph in the Champions League, but the German team chose not to permanently incorporate him.
It was proposed that Barça sell Coutinho to an alternate suitor in the summer transfer window, but new Barça coach Ronald Koeman made it clear that he still had a future at Camp Nou after replacing Quique Setien at the management position in August.
Since then, the Dutchman has been rewarded for his faith in the 28-year-old, who has contributed two goals and two assists in six appearances for the Blaugrana at the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
Coutinho has been arguably Barça’s most consistent player in the past two months, but allowed his standards to drop during Saturday’s El Clásico clash against Real Madrid.
The former Liverpool star played the full 90 minutes of the 3-1 home loss, with goals from Federico Valverde, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric that made Ansu Fati’s effort for the hosts nothing more than a consolation.
Barça have now revealed that Coutinho has received a blow that could knock him out of a midweek encounter with Juve in the Champions League, but have been unable to offer a firm return date for the midfielder.
❗ MEDICAL ANNOUNCEMENT
▶ @Phil_Coutinho has left a hamstring injury
🔗 https://t.co/bOYtInquKU pic.twitter.com/YH8aZfe7oB– FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 25, 2020
“A test on Sunday morning revealed that Philippe Coutinho has a left hamstring (hamstring) injury. Exactly how long that means he will be out of action depends on how the injury progresses,” read a statement on the club’s official website.
“Coutinho started the Clásico on Saturday and played the full ninety minutes, and has appeared in a total of six official games so far this season (five in La Liga and one in the Champions League), scoring a goal in each competition” .
Barça will have to avoid a defeat at the Allianz Stadium to remain the leaders of Group G, having won their first game of the European campaign 5-1 against Ferencvaros on Tuesday.
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