Barcelona Winger Ousmane Dembele Fit to Face Man Utd After Recovering From Injury
Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele has been passed fit to face Manchester United in the Champions League quarter final first leg at Old Trafford on Wednesday night after recovering the thigh injury he suffered in the last round against Lyon in the previous round.
Dembele has missed Barça's last four games as a result of the injury, handing unsettled Philippe Coutinho the opportunity for an unbroken run in the starting lineup.
But having trained at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, Barça confirmed on their official website that Dembele is 'fit to play' and will therefore be considered for selection by coach Ernesto Valverde.
Given that the World Cup winning Frenchman's last appearance was against Lyon on 13 March, a month ago, it remains to be seen if Valverde will use him from the start.
It is a largely full strength squad that has travelled to Manchester, with Thomas Vermaelen, Jasper Cillessen and long-term absentee Rafinha the only notable omissions.
Barça go into the game unbeaten in any competition since a 2-0 Copa del Rey defeat against Sevilla in January.
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A first competitive meeting with United since the 2011 Champions League final at Wembley and a first trip to Old Trafford since April 2008, it is also the first time Barça star Gerard Pique will be playing at Old Trafford since leaving United to return to Camp Nou 11 years ago.
"It's a special game for me because it is where I became an adult, I learnt so much both on and off the field. When I came home I was totally different person," Pique said at Tuesday's press conference, via FCBarcelona.com, when quizzed about what it means to him.
