After securing their fifth-consecutive Copa del Rey final appearance following a 2-0 win over Valencia in the semi-final second leg, Barcelona’s attention return to La Liga.
The Catalans could go nine points clear of Atletico Madrid at the top of the table with a win against Getafe at Camp Nou on Sunday.
Here, we look at the key talking points ahead of the encounter.
Dembele return gives Barca boost
Barcelona fans have barely caught a glimpse of Ousmane Dembele since his €105 million (Dh472.3m) transfer from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.
An injury-plagued first season in Spain has been frustrating for the young France forward, but he has been included in the squad to face Getafe after being given the all-clear by medical staff.
Ernesto Valverde will no doubt be cautious with the 20-year-old but there’s every chance that he will play some part against the Blues. With the Champions League round of 16 tie against Chelsea to come next week, a fit Dembele with a few minutes under his belt will hand the Catalans a huge boost in attack going into the business end of the season with the treble in their sights.
Ousmane Dembele (l) and Ernesto Valverde.
Chance for Coutinho to make a statement
After scoring his first goal as a Barcelona player in the win over Valencia, Philippe Coutinho will be keen to establish himself in the first eleven and play a key role as the team chase down silverware in the final stages of the campaign.
A period of acclimatisation was always going to be in store for the Brazilian after making the switch from Liverpool.
However, having been the playmaker in chief at Anfield, he will be itching to take centre stage, or at least share it with the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez etc. Against Getafe, Coutinho will be keen to build on his fine second half-display at the Mestalla and hopefully earn a place in the starting line-up when the Blaugrana take on Chelsea in Europe.
Philippe Coutinho
Can Mina step up?
For too long Barcelona have relied on their first-choice centre-back pairing.
Samuel Umtiti and Gerard Pique have emerged as the central defensive duo this season but the Frenchman’s muscle injury over the winter fixtures meant the unreliable Thomas Vermaelen needed to be drafted in, who has since been sidelined with injury again. Pique has usually been the constant but after limping off in midweek, he’s in a race to be fit for the encounter with Chelsea next week.
Barcelona have always been precariously light in terms of defensive personnel but Yerry Mina’s arrival is supposed to rectify that. The Colombia international was meant to be eased into proceedings but now looks set to start against Getafe.
A solid display at Camp Nou could prove significant, not only to offer a solid back-up should Pique suffer a setback in his bid to recover for the Champions League tie, but also to provide reassurance that in the long-term, Barcelona no longer need to be as reliant on their Spanish defensive stalwart as they have been in recent years.
Yerry Mina (r) made his debut against Valencia
