Blow for Barcelona as star suffers another injury setback

Champions League
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Barcelona secured a hugely important win over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night, but Ousmane Dembele lasted just 25 minutes of the encounter.

The victory ensured that the Catalan giants finish top of Group F ahead of both Inter and Dortmund, who will be left to slug it out over second place to advance to the knockout stage.

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However, it seemingly came at a price as Dembele was forced off with an injury in the first half, and as noted in the club’s tweet below, the French ace has suffered another muscle injury as it is said to be an issue with his thigh which forced his withdrawal from the game.

Time will tell what further tests reveal, but Barcelona will be hoping that it isn’t serious and that Dembele doesn’t now face a fresh spell on the sidelines after being dogged by injuries throughout his spell with the club.

The 22-year-old has been limited to just nine appearances across all competitions so far this season, while his lack of consistent playing time has arguably had a negative influence on his ability to contribute to the team too as he’s managed just one goal and no assists this year to date.

For a player of his quality and potential, that will be bitterly disappointing for Dembele, and having already missed six games this season due to injury, the last thing that he needs is for a fresh setback to keep him sidelined heading into the festive period.

Barcelona face an incredibly busy schedule in December, albeit their ability to qualify for the Champions League knockout stage a game early does help Ernesto Valverde in terms of perhaps being able to rest key players.

However, they still play six games over the space of 21 days before the winter break, and although Valverde can still call upon Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez in the final third, he would surely love to have Dembele offer quality depth and a different dynamic when needed too.

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