Getty Coutinho limps off against Eibar
Barcelona confirmed on Saturday that Philippe Coutinho will miss the next three months after undergoing knee surgery.
The news is a big blow to the Brazil international who returned to the club in the summer after a loan spell with Bayern Munich where he won the treble with the Bavarian giants.
Coutinho is the second Barcelona player to undergo knee surgery this season. Teenage forward Ansu Fati had an operation in November that saw Barca rule him out of action for four months.
Center-back Gerard Pique is also currently sidelined with a knee problem. The defender has been out since picking up the problem against Atletico Madrid in November and is not expected to return until March.
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Which Games Will Coutinho Miss?
Coutinho will now a significant chunk of the season, starting with Sunday’s La Liga game against bottom of the table Huesca. The former Liverpool man is also likely to miss at least another 12 La Liga games if he does not return until April.
The Brazilian will also sit out January’s Spanish Super Cup games. Barca play Real Sociedad on January 13 in Andalusia and will face either Real Madrid or Athletic in the final.
Barca will also have to make do without Coutinho for their entire Copa del Rey campaign unless they reach the final of the competition. The Catalan giants will start the tournament later in January.
Perhaps more importantly Coutinho will also be sidelined for Barca’s two Champions League last 16 fixtures against Paris Saint-Germain in February and March, but he should be available if the club make it through to the quarter-finals.
Koeman on Coutinho
Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman spoke about the Brazilian ahead of Sunday’s match against Huesca in his pre-match press conference.
It’s bad luck. We have several players with injuries who will be out for quite some time. For me Philippe has always been important, now he has to recover. It is a significant loss. We have to see how we can solve his loss.
It is an important loss. We also have Ansu Fati, Piqué, Sergi Roberto out, almost all are starters in the team. We lack people and sometimes it is a problem.
Summer signing Pedri is the most likely player to benefit from Coutinho’s absence. The 18-year-old has already forced his way into the starting XI this season and has featured in all Barca’s La Liga matches in 2020-21.
Young midfielders Carles Alena and Riqui Puig may also be hoping to get more minutes after struggling for game time under Koeman. Neither player has yet started in La Liga this season but have been used on occasion off the bench.
Yet there has been speculation Alena could leave in January in order to play more regularly. According to Marca, the 22-year-old is “close” to a move to Getafe and intends to leave in order to secure regular football and continue his development.
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