Dembélé to miss Strasbourg clash due to injury; PSG hopeful for Arsenal return”
French forward Ousmane Dembélé will not feature against Strasbourg due to a hamstring injury, but PSG coach Luis Enrique remains hopeful of having him back for the crucial Champions League clash against Arsenal.
The fears that arose when Dembélé had to leave the pitch midway through the match at Arsenal’s home ground have now been confirmed — he is indeed suffering from a hamstring injury.
The 27-year-old will miss PSG’s Ligue 1 match away at Strasbourg. However, Luis Enrique is optimistic that Dembélé could be fit in time for next Wednesday’s Champions League semifinal second leg against Arsenal.
Dembélé has been in excellent form this season, scoring 33 goals across all competitions for the French champions. One of those goals came in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, where his strike secured a 1-0 win against Arsenal.
He couldn’t finish that game, though. In the 70th minute, he walked off the field and headed straight down the tunnel.
PSG will take on Strasbourg this Saturday. Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Friday, Enrique confirmed the injury.
“He won’t play tomorrow (Saturday), that’s certain,” said the PSG coach.
Dembélé is said to be making progress, and PSG will continue to assess his condition in the coming days. With the title already secured and Dembélé unavailable, will Enrique rest more of his regular starters against Strasbourg?
“We’re going to do what we’ve been doing all along. We’ll approach the game with the same mindset, nothing has changed. What matters most is that every minute spent wearing the PSG shirt contributes to the team — in matches and in other competitions,” Enrique explained.
“We’re playing this match as part of our preparations for the Champions League and the French Cup final — not to chase some unbeaten away record. Winning at Strasbourg would be great, but the motivation is to prepare for the Champions League, not maintain an unbeaten streak.”
