BEVERLY HILLS, October 25, (THEWILL) – Spanish La Liga side Barcelona have announced that their Brazilian central attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho will be out for the time being with a hamstring injury.
The Catalan club did not provide a timescale on the injury. THEWILL believes the 28-year-old is certain, at the very least, to miss Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Juventus.
The official statement from Barca reads:
“Tests on Sunday morning have revealed that Philippe Coutinho has a left biceps femoris (hamstring) injury. Exactly how long that means he will be out of action depends on how the injury evolves”
– FC Barcelona
Club manager Ronald Koeman will now be forced to effect some selection changes as the rejuvenated Brazilian had been a regular starter in the team since his return to the side from his Champions League winning exploits on loan with Bayern Munich in Germany.
Who takes Coutinho’s place and how the team selection is shuffled by Koeman will be interesting to observe. THEWILL believes Barca is not lacking in options. If anything, the manager will be spoilt for choice of pickings.
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Martin Braithwaite, Pedri, Antoine Griezmann, Francisco Trincao and Ousmane Dembele are all available and pushing for a spot on the team. There is also the talented Spanish youngster Riqui Puig who will be hoping Coutinho’s injury could provide him the chance to get more play time under his belt.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
