Ernesto Valverde's problems continued to pile up on Sunday as Philippe Coutinho was forced off during their -0 win against Getafe due to a muscular injury. The Barcelona coach is already without forwards Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele ahead of the Copa del Rey final against Valencia on May 25. Coutinho was replaced by Abel Ruiz on the 69th minute at the Camp Nou after being treated by the Catalan club's medical staff on the pitch.

According to the latest reports, Coutinho is expected to be out for around 10 days after suffering an injury in the second half of the Catalans' 2-0 win over Getafe. However, medical tests have shown that the injury isn't too serious.
"Tests on Coutinho have revealed that the player has pulled the biceps femoris in his left thigh," a club statement said. "He is expected to be out for about 10 days."

The No.7 should miss the final LaLiga Santander game of the season against Eibar, but should be okay to feature in the Copa del Rey final against Valencia on May 25.  Valverde will be without Luis Suarez for the final at the Estadio Benito Villamarin, while Ousmane Dembele's participation in Seville remains a doubt.

Meanwhile, Valverde was glad to see his Barcelona players respond to their Champions League humiliation with a 2-0 win over Getafe on Sunday. Valverde and his players have been heavily criticised for failing to reach the final, but they put in a positive performance in front of a half-empty Camp Nou.

"There's nothing like making a recovery," Valverde said. "I think it has had an effect on us all. "You always blame the setback when you get a beating, when you get bad news or when things haven't gone right in a particular moment. "But everyone recovered or tried to recover."

There were more whistles for the injured Brazil international Coutinho from the Barcelona fans after his quiet evening at Anfield on Tuesday: "I've not spoken with Coutinho, but there were people who whistled him at the start," Valverde said. "But it's also true that there were people who tried to support him."

Lionel Messi had a hand in both goals against Jose Bordalas' side and, after injuries to Coutinho, Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele, is being used as a false nine ahead of the Copa del Rey final with Valencia.

"It's a possibility that we've used before," Valverde said. "Either way, we have to wait because we've got another injured player [Coutinho] and we don't know the extent of the injury."

                                                                                

                                                                                Most accurate football prediction website...