PSG face Ousmane Dembele blow for Arsenal clash as injury expert gives verdict

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Ousmane Dembele’s likelihood of featuring for Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League semi-final clash with Arsenal next week is considered ‘very small’.

The French winger has had an outstanding season leading PSG’s potent frontline, having netted his 33rd goal of the campaign during Tuesday night’s clash at the Emirates.

PSG returned to France with a 1-0 advantage for the second leg next Wednesday, but Dembele’s participation is uncertain after he had to leave the pitch in the second half in north London.

Following the match, Luis Enrique acknowledged that his key attacker is doubtful for the upcoming game, with Dembele also ruled out of Friday’s Ligue 1 fixture against Strasbourg.

On Friday afternoon, PSG issued a short update on Dembele, stating that ‘his condition is progressing well’ though more evaluations are pending.

The French titleholders have until Wednesday to determine whether Dembele can be involved in what is arguably their most important fixture of the season against Mikel Arteta’s squad.

However, with limited recovery time, fielding him could present too much of a gamble.

Dembele had to come off during the second period (Picture: Getty Images)

Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs — an organisation focused on athlete injury management and performance analysis and partnered with the Premier League — believes it’s highly improbable that Dembele will be fit to start against the Gunners.

‘Even if that is a grade 1 hamstring injury, the likelihood of him being able to play within a week is very, very small,’ Smith told Metro. ‘My gut instinct would be that even if it is a minimal strain you are talking two weeks before you can get him back in.

‘It is an important game too. If you’re not fully confident, can you take a risk with a guy who is not ready and risk damaging that even further and losing him for a longer period of time? It is a really high risk manoeuvre with a player who has been playing so well.

Dembele scored the decisive goal at the Emirates (Picture: Danehouse/Getty Images)

‘I would put it in the unlikely category. If there is even any fibre disruption at all, it is such a high risk decision for a club to make, putting a player out there who could potentially suffer much more significant damage in a really problematic area within the sport. They would want to feel really good about thing before putting him out, regardless of how important the game is.’

PSG secured the Ligue 1 crown in early April, shifting their full attention to the Champions League. Winning the competition remains a major ambition for the club, which has made it to the semi-finals in impressive fashion this season as they aim for their first-ever European title.

With domestic duties wrapped up, the club might be tempted to accelerate Dembele’s return to help them against Arsenal. But Smith argues this scenario is unlikely to be seriously entertained by PSG’s medical team.

‘I don’t think it is a realistic option to throw him in and hope for the best. It is very high risk. It is not the type of conversation any medics within the game are going to have, they will be having a conversation about what the right thing for that player is and how much risk that may present.

‘What we also have to remember, they will have ‘return to play’ standards within the club. They will have information on him about his previous muscle strength, running distance, velocity, things of that nature, and they will be expecting him to display those comfortably or in a gradual fashion so he doesn’t get hurt as they are assessing things.

‘So there is quite a bit of work to get through internally just to show he is capable. And in a seven day window, that can be hard to pull off.’

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