PSG hopeful to have Dembele back for Arsenal showdown

PSG confirmed on Friday that Ousmane Dembele is ‘progressing favourably’ from a hamstring injury suffered in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal.

The French strike will be rested to recover in time for next week’s second leg at the Parc des Princes.

Ousmane Dembele scored the deciding goal of the first leg at the Emirates, breaking the deadlock four minutes into the game to give Paris Saint-Germain the advantage over Arsenal in the semi-final tie. But the Frenchman was forced off early after picking up a hamstring injury in the second half.

PSG confirmed earlier on Friday that Dembele’s situation was ‘evolving and progressing favourably’, boosting the Parisians’ hopes to have him back for next week’s second leg at the Parc des Princes and seal their ticket to the Champions League final on May 31 in Munich.

With the 27-year-old working towards his recovery, Luis Enrique anticipated that he would be rested for the upcoming visit to Strasbourg on Saturday in Ligue 1. “Tomorrow, he will not play, that’s for sure,” the Spaniard said during a press conference on the eve of the game.

PSG have already secured a fourth successive league title after their 1-0 win over Angers on April 5. They were hoping to become the first team ever to complete a French top-flight season without losing a game, but missed out on the feat after losing 3-1 at home against Nice.