Ousmane Dembélé could be risked for Barça’s crucial Champions league match

As Barcelona gear up for a crunch UEFA Champions League Group E clash against SL Benfica, manager Xavi Hernandez could be looking to take a gamble on the fitness of one of his star players in Ousmane Dembele, reports AS.

The Frenchman has made just one appearance so far this term – a small cameo in the Champions League clash against Dynamo Kyiv before picking up another fresh injury that has since sidelined him.

However, heading into Tuesday night’s game at Camp Nou, Xavi is running out of options in the wide areas. This past weekend against Espanyol, the 41-year-old tactician utilised Gavi on the left-wing while deploying Barca B youngsters, Ilias Akhomach and Abdi Ezzalzouli, on the right flank during the first and second halves, respectively.

But both Ilias and Abdi will be unavailable for selection for tonight’s Champions League clash as they are not registered in the official squad. With Ansu Fati and Martin Braithwaite also ruled out, Xavi is thinly stretched as far as options for the right flank go.

Fourth captain Sergi Roberto could have been an option, but he too is sidelined while Sergino Dest, who has been used in the right-wing berth earlier this season, is also an injury doubt.

With Memphis Depay all but certain to line up as the No. 9, all signs point towards Gavi starting on the left flank yet again. As for the right-wing, without Ilias and Abdi, Xavi is left with just one option in the form of fellow youngster Yusuf Demir.

However, the Austrian is not a traditional winger and is someone who relishes playing on the inside channels rather than hugging the touchlines. With Gavi also not an out-and-out winger, the manager is wary of not having natural width in the attacking unit. And, as a result, he is now considering rushing Dembele back into action for the game, reports AS.

While the Frenchman would not be a part of the starting XI as such, there is a good chance he might be handed minutes off the bench based on how he is feeling during the team’s tactical training session, the report mentions. It also states that Dest, too, could be risked by Xavi with the USMNT star close to recovering fully from his lower-back issues.

While there is an element of risk involved in doing so, particularly with Dembele, given his history with injuries, desperate times call for desperate measures. Grabbing a win on Tuesday would ascertain their place in the knockout phase of the competition, irrespective of the result of their final group game against Bayern Munich.