Dembele praises Atletico Madrid attacker ahead of weekend clash: “We have to close him”

Following their misstep against RCD Espanyol in La Liga this past weekend, Barcelona will be aiming to get back to winning ways in the Spanish top flight when they take on rivals Atletico Madrid.

With Real Madrid breathing down their necks, Barça cannot afford any more slip-ups moving forward. But, in Atletico Madrid, they will face a team who are in a good moment after a poor start to the season.

The Rojiblancos’ revival is being led by a player that Barcelona know very well in Antoine Griezmann. The 31-year-old returned to the Metropolitano from Barcelona on loan in 2021 and made the transfer permanent last year.

After enjoying a fine World Cup with France, Griezmann is now turning it on at the club level. In 23 matches across all competitions, he has been involved in six goals and eight assists.

And Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele has earmarked the Frenchman as a threat for the upcoming encounter, stating that the Catalans will need to keep a close eye on him.

Speaking to Eleven Sports, Dembele said: “I think we have to close him down because he is really dangerous, he has very good passing skills and he is in really good form.”

Apart from praising Griezmann, Dembele also addressed the matter of his future at Barcelona. Recent reports suggested that PSG were once again interested in his services, but the Frenchman has claimed that he is happy at Camp Nou and is not thinking about an exit.

“I have signed a new contract at Barcelona four months ago. I am happy here and I am going to keep working to continue the journey at Barça,” he said.

When asked if the Eiffel Tower does not interest him anymore, the winger replied: “No. I feel good here. I have a good life here. The coach believes in me and the board does too. I am happy with their faith and my situation at the club.”

In 22 matches this season, Dembele has scored six goals and set up seven more. He was on target for Barcelona in their win against Intercity last night and will be hoping to continue in the same vein of form against Atletico.