Barcelona won’t risk Ousmane Dembele for Napoli clash

Barcelona are unlikely to pick Ousmane Dembele for the forthcoming European clash against Napoli at the Camp Nou, a report from ESPN Deportes claims.

The Frenchman has not played a competitive fixture since the 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League group stage on November 27, having picked up back-to-back hamstring injuries.

Dembele was sidelined until early February as he was recovering from a right hamstring problem. On his return to training, he experienced a more severe injury as he suffered a complete tear to his right hamstring.

It was confirmed that Dembele would be ruled out for the rest of the season following a surgery, but the unexpected coronavirus shutdown between March and June has meant that he could still play a part for the club this term.

Dembele returned to individual training earlier this week, but ESPN claims that manager Quique Setien is unlikely to risk him for the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Napoli on August 8.

However, he could feature in the last eight of the competition, suppose the Blaugrana are able to beat Gennaro Gattuso’s side. The Catalan giants could face either Chelsea or Bayern Munich for a place in the semi-finals.

Injuries have hampered the Blaugrana over the course of the campaign and they are presently without centre-back Samuel Umtiti, who is sidelined with a knee injury without a return date.

Meanwhile, Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal are suspended for the Napoli clash next month and the Blaugrana can anticipate a tough test on their hands. They currently have the away-goal advantage after the 1-1 draw in the first leg in Naples.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com