Barcelona are hopeful that Ousmane Dembele will be able to return from injury in the La Liga match against Real Madrid at Camp Nou on March 19, according to a report.
The France international has been in excellent form for the Catalan giants this season, scoring eight goals and registering seven assists in 28 appearances across all competitions.
However, the 25-year-old suffered a hamstring injury during a La Liga match against Girona on January 28, and he has since missed league games against Real Betis and Sevilla.
According to AS, Barcelona’s medical team has set El Clasico on March 19 as a potential return date for the Frenchman.
Dembele will continue to receive physiotherapy for the next 15 days before returning to the training field, where he will spend another 15 days working his way back to full fitness, according to the report.
As a result, the attacker is expected to miss Barcelona’s next eight games across all competitions, including both legs of their Europa League knockout round playoff with Manchester United.
Dembele would also miss the first leg of his team’s Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Madrid on March 2, as well as La Liga games against Villarreal, Cadiz, Almeria, Valencia, and Athletic Bilbao.
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Barcelona manager Xavi recently admitted that the forward’s absence was a huge blow given his recent form.
Dembele’s future is still up in the air, as he enters the final 18 months of his contract at Camp Nou.
However, Xavi is optimistic that the former Rennes youngster will remain at the club “for many years.”
Dembele has 40 goals and 41 assists in 178 appearances for Barcelona since joining from Borussia Dortmund in August 2017.
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