Leverkusen, 21 October (Read News).

Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele has been included in the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) squad after recovering from a six-week injury. He can return in the Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.

Dembele’s return has brought relief to coach Luis Enrique, as the team has had to struggle with injuries this season. The 28-year-old French forward suffered a hamstring injury while playing for France in early September. He returned to training last week after treatment at a specialized clinic in Qatar.

Dembele did not feature in Friday’s thrilling 3-3 draw against Strasbourg, but there is now hope he can play some minutes in Germany. European champion PSG is looking for its third consecutive win in the Champions League this season.

Leverkusen centre-back and France teammate Loic Bade said, “There is no secret way to stop Dembele. He is a complete player with many qualities. He has won the Ballon d’Or, which means he is exceptionally talented. He can play with both feet and there are no weaknesses in his game.”

He further said, “To stop them, we have to think as a team, defend collectively and stay compact.”

PSG got the return of forwards Desiree Douay and Khvicha Kvaratskheliya in the Strasbourg match. However, midfielders Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves are still out due to injury. Captain Marquinhos, who has recently recovered from injury, has left for Germany with the team.

Leverkusen coach Casper Heullemond, who took over from Eric ten Hag in September, said PSG’s high-pressing style is “a weapon” but also “a risk”.

He said, “They are a great team who have improved since last year. But we also have a lot of quality and we want to show that. We are confident in our game.”

Bundesliga 2024 champion Leverkusen played draws with FC Copenhagen and PSV Eindhoven in the first two Champions League matches of this season.

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(Read) Dubey