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BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – Lionel Messi having his arm broken, the two most expensive recruits in the history of Barcelona offer a perfect opportunity to show their value.
Barcelona has spent more than 300 million euros (350 million dollars) to engage Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho and French striker Ousmane Dembele last season by reinvesting money – and partly – since Neymar's move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Although Coutinho and Dembele have repeatedly shown their talent-clbad world, none has fully responded to the enormous expectations that inevitably came with their price tags.
Messi set up Coutinho to score the opening goal, then added a second goal in a 4-2 win over Sevilla on Saturday in the Spanish league. he fell awkwardly on his right arm, who leaned back and broke a bone. This expensive victory allowed Barcelona to overtake Sevilla and climb to the top of the rankings.
While Barcelona's all-time leading scorer is recovering, Coutinho and Dembele will be under pressure to lead the team to this week's important games.
Barcelona hosts Inter Milan Wednesday in search of a third win in as many Champions League matches. The clasico, still demanding, will be followed Sunday at home by Real Madrid. The team's doctors also predict that Messi will not be available for three more matches, including a visit to Inter next month.
"When (Messi) is with us, he gives us a sense of security," Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said. "He is the best in the world. You notice that it is not there, but whether it is with us or not, we must continue. We have a good team.
To acquire Dembele from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, Barcelona has accepted a transfer agreement of up to 147 million euros ($ 169 million).
After a first campaign in Spain limited by injuries, Dembele returned to help France to win the World Cup and made a good start to the season by scoring five goals in nine consecutive starts.
But when Barcelona faced a tough Champions League match in Tottenham, coach Ernesto Valverde Dembele, 21, was replaced by Arthur in the middle of the field. Barcelona won 4-2, Messi scoring twice and Coutinho once
Valverde replied "I do not know" to the question of whether he thought Dembele had lost confidence.
"He participated at the beginning of the season," said Valverde. "He has not been a starter in the last three games, but we are counting on him. He is very talented. We expect a lot from him and we think he has the ability to improve.
Coutinho arrived from Liverpool in January for 160 million euros ($ 184 million) as part of the post-Neymar reconstruction. But despite regular goals, he must be more of a playmaker for Barcelona after the departure of Andres Iniesta.
Valverde can now deploy the pair, with Arthur, with Messi absent.
REAL MESS
Julen Lopetegui The coaching post of Real Madrid is called into question after a record drought for the club and a series of five consecutive games without a win.
But some of the problems threatening to ruin Lopetegui have actually started under predecessor Zinedine Zidane.
Even if the team After an unprecedented third win in the Champions League, Madrid played badly in other competitions during the last title season of Zidane.
Madrid had practically given up defending its 2016 championship title after only three wins in nine games from October to January. That happened just before his magnificent home defeat against Leganes, who eliminated him from the Copa del Rey.
Instead of significantly strengthening an imperfect team that also lost top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo in the offseason, Madrid signed a pair of substitutes and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Lopetegui needs his team to rebound immediately with a series of victories, starting against Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday and Barcelona.
Madrid defender Marcelo said the players were behind Lopetegui. He compared the situation of the freshman to that of Rafa Benitez, who was sacked after seven months of work and replaced by Zidane in 2016.
"We are completely behind our coach," said Marcelo. "(The criticism of the media) is unfair. It's like what happened in Benitez. I do not like coaches not being allowed to work. "
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