Barcelona newcomers Coutinho, Mina named to bench for Espanyol tilt

Barcelona’s two winter signings, Philippe Coutinho and Yerry Mina, were named to the bench for the first time and could subsequently make their respective club debuts as the Blaugrana take on local rival Espanyol on Thursday in the Copa del Rey.

Mina joined the club out of Palmeiras on Jan. 11 in an €11.8-million deal, and the Colombian center-back could be an option for Ernesto Valverde with Thomas Vermaelen ruled out for about two weeks with a hamstring injury.

But it is the appearance of Coutinho that will be particularly exciting for fans at the Camp Nou. The €160-million man finally completed a switch to Barcelona out of Liverpool earlier in January but hasn’t had an opportunity to play, as the club initially ruled him out with a thigh problem.

The Brazilian received his medical clearance earlier in the week and is now on the bench for the tilt against Espanyol, a club he once suited up for in 2012 while on loan out of Internazionale.

Barcelona will look to overturn a 1-0 aggregate deficit suffered by Valverde’s side in an away defeat to Espanyol in the first leg. If the Blaugrana fail to do so, they would join Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid among Spain’s giants who were eliminated in the quarter-final round of the competition.