Coutinho missed two last Liverpool matches before the transfer to Barcelona due to a hip injury. The Brazilian himself expected that he could play in a couple of days.

Nevertheless, the medical service of Barcelona after the medical examination issued another verdict: the Brazilian will need to recover about three weeks.

Recall, Philippe was a record transfer in the history of Barcelona - his signing cost the club about 160 million euros.

Also recently recovered and ready to play the previous transfer record of "blue-garnet" - French winger Usman Dembele.

After 18 rounds, Barcelona leads the La Liga, ahead of Atletico by 9 points. Real Madrid lagged behind the Catalans by 16 points, but has a match in reserve.