LALIGA SANTANDER
Ousmane Dembélé expected to return from injury in time for Real Madrid
Barcelona winger Dembélé is expected to miss several weeks of action but should be fit for El Clásico in LaLiga.
A date has been set for Ousmane Dembélé's return to action and it’s a significant one: 19 March, the day Barcelona will play their second LaLiga Clásico of the season against Real Madrid.
AS has learned that the Frenchman has settled on a recovery program with the Barça medical team; he will do physio work for the next two weeks, which should allow his thigh muscle tear to heal completely. He will then incrementally increase his training schedule out on the field, which should lead to him resuming full training within the following two weeks.
That means Dembélé will miss both legs of the Europa League tie against Manchester United, as well as the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal against Real Madrid, which will be played in early March. As things stand, there seems to be very little chance of the winger being available before the league Clásico against Los Blancos, with the first leg of a potential last-16 tie in the Europe League on 16 March - should Barcelona eliminate United - likely to come too soon.
How many more matches will Ousmane Dembélé miss?
That means that Xavi Hernández is resigned to being without one of his key men for a significant number of games. More specifically, Dembélé is expected to miss a minimum of eight, which would likely rise to nine if Barcelona progress to the round of 16 in the Europa League.
Games that Ousmane Dembélé will miss:
| Opponent | Date | Competition |
| Villarreal (a) | 12 February | LaLiga |
| Manchester United (h) | 16 February | Europa League playoff round |
| Cádiz (h) | 19 February | LaLiga |
| Manchester United (a) | 23 February | Europa League playoff round |
| Almería (a) | 26 February | LaLiga |
| Real Madrid (a) | 2 March | Copa del Rey semi-final 1st leg |
| Valencia (h) | 5 March | LaLiga |
| Athletic Club (a) | 12 March | LaLiga |
| Possible Europa League 1st leg round of 16 | 16 March | Europa League |
Dembélé won’t be rushed back from injury
The Barça medical team have made it clear that it would be unwise to rush the Frenchman’s return given his long history of muscular injuries. As a result, the plan is to ease Dembélé back to full fitness to ensure there are no setbacks.
If everything goes as it should, Dembélé will have missed a total of seven weeks of action and his absence has given - and will give - other players, particularly Raphinha, the chance to have a run in Xavi’s side. The Brazilian has taken full advantage so far, scoring twice and providing an assist in two games against Real Betis and Sevilla