Dembélé in, Coutinho out for Barça's trip to Atlético
Ernesto Valverde has confirmed he won't take any risks with the Brazilian and has recalled the France winger after his omission against Betis.
Ousmane Dembélé has been recalled to the Barcelona squad for the trip to Atlético Madrid on Saturday but Philippe Coutinho will not be risked as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury, Ernesto Valverde has confirmed.
Dembélé was left in the stands as Barça were beaten 4-3 by Betis at Camp Nou before the international break as punishment for missing a training session but Valverde has welcomed the France international back into the fold for the fixture at the Metropolitano on Saturday, where Arturo Vidal is expected to start in place of the suspended Ivan Rakitic.
Valverde will also be without Thomas Vermaelen and Sergi Samper, who are both injured, and has omitted Denis Suárez, who is widely expected to leave Camp Nou in January in search of regular playing time.
Youth teamer Carles Aleñá has been included in the squad, where the main piece of good news for Valverde is the availability of Samuel Umtiti after a lengthy layoff with ligament damage in his knee.
Barça squad for Atlético Madrid
Ter Stegen, Cillessen, Semedo, Piqué, Busquets, Arthur, Suárez, Messi, Dembélé, Rafinha, Malcom, Lenglet, Alba, Munir, Sergi Roberto, Vidal, Umtiti, Aleñá.
Classification | PTS | WM | TM | LM |
---|
Upcoming matches |
---|