Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho to miss Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers in November after sustaining hamstring injury in defeat against Real Madrid… and he could be joined on the sidelines by both Fabinho and Neymar
- Philippe Coutinho suffered a hamstring injury in the defeat against Real Madrid
- Barcelona originally did not give a timescale on how long he would be out for
- But Brazil have confirmed he will miss their international fixtures in November
- Fabinho and Neymar were forced off during week’s Champions League action
The Brazil national team have confirmed that Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho will not return to fitness until at least after the international break.
Coutinho sustained a hamstring injury in last weekend’s 3-1 defeat by arch rivals Real Madrid in El Clasico, despite playing the full 90 minutes at the Nou Camp.
Barcelona didn’t set a timescale on his recovery, originally claiming it ‘depends on how the injury evolves’.
Philippe Coutinho sustained a hamstring injury in Barcelona’s 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid
But Brazil’s medical team have now assessed the Barcelona star and have revealed that he will miss November’s international action, while both Fabinho and Neymar are big doubts.
Brazil doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said in a statement: ‘There is not enough time for the recovery of the player for his participation in the next two rounds of [2022 World Cup] qualifiers’.
Coutinho will therefore miss Brazil’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela on November 14 and Uruguay just three days later.
Brazil have since called up Lyon star Lucas Paqueta to take his place in the national team.
Coutinho will miss Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay in November
Barcelona will be desperate to have Coutinho fit and ready for their crunch clash away to Atletico Madrid in LaLiga on November 22.
Ronald Koeman’s side have endured an alarming start to the new campaign, currently sitting 12th with just seven points from their opening five matches.
Meanwhile, Coutinho is set to be joined on the sidelines by Liverpool star Fabinho, who suffered a hamstring injury in the Champions League victory over Midtjylland.
There were concerns amongst the Liverpool staff that the Brazilian had suffered a grade-three tear, which could keep him out up for up to six months, but fears were eased after a scan on Wednesday showed a grade-one or grade-two tear, according to The Mirror.
The report details that as a result of the diagnosis, there is optimism that Fabinho could be back after the November international break, meaning he would miss just three games.
Coutinho is set to be joined on the sidelines with Brazil by Liverpool star Fabinho
And Neymar could also join the pair after hobbling off injured for Paris Saint-Germain against Istanbul Basaksehir on Wednesday.
Neymar appeared to be in discomfort as he was substituted with what appeared to be a thigh injury in the first-half of PSG’s Champions League victory.
‘I hope it’s not a serious injury and we’ll wait to see the results of his scan tomorrow. It’s his adductor,’ PSG boss Thomas Tuchel said after the final whistle.
‘He had to come off. He wasn’t in real pain but he felt uncomfortable. In a packed schedule, he could be out for a few games. But I’m not sure.’
Neymar could also miss out after hobbling off during PSG’s victory over Istanbul Basaksehir
