Ousmane Dembélé injury blow for Barcelona

Bad luck never comes at a good time, but that seems to be especially true right now for Ousmane Dembélé. Just when he was enjoying his best run of form this season, the Frenchman was forced off in the 24th minute of Barcelona’s LaLiga clash against Girona after tweaking a thigh muscle while attempting to sprint past an opponent. It was immediately clear that something was wrong as the attacker pulled up and started rubbing his thigh. Dembélé initially tried to play on but a number of concerned looks over to the bench were followed by the signal that he was unable to continue.

The winger will undergo tests when the team return to Barcelona but the early signs don’t look especially promising. The injury is unlikely to be a long-term one but given that Barcelona have an incredibly busy fixture schedule over the next few weeks, he could end up missing a number of games.

Dembélé’s potential absence would be a huge blow for Xavi Hernández, as the Frenchman, who has featured in 49 of the Barça coach’s 51 matches in charge, has become one of La Blaugrana’s most influential players.

Barcelona’s busy fixture list

Barcelona are in the midst of a run of 16 games in 58 days, with the unusual timing of the 2022 World Cup, their participation in the Spanish Super Cup, their run to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey and the resumption of the UEFA Europa League meaning they have had, and will have, precious few free midweeks.

Barcelona haven’t had a single free midweek in January and won’t have any in February either, with the two-legged Copa del Rey semi-finals scheduled for 7-9 Feburary and 1-3 March. The draw will take place on Monday 30 January.