BARCELONA (AFP) - Barcelona will make a late decision on the fitness of Ousmane Dembele ahead of their Champions League second leg against Lyon, coach Ernesto Valverde said on Tuesday (March 12).
Dembele sustained a minor hamstring strain against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday and is a doubt for the game at the Camp Nou, where Lyon arrive after a 0-0 draw in the first leg.
"We will see how he is and make a decision later," Valverde said.
"It is an important match but we cannot take any risks. If he isn't fit, he will have to wait for the next opportunity," he added.
Dembele's absence could mean a start for Philippe Coutinho, who has struggled in recent weeks and was whistled off by a minority of Barcelona fans when substituted last weekend.
Signed for €160 million (S$244 million) from Liverpool just over a year ago, Coutinho has started 16 of Barcelona's 27 La Liga games this season.
Asked if he had spoken to the Brazilian about his form, Valverde said: "The way we handle the players is a private matter. What we want is for them to give us their best and we expect a lot from him."
The pressure is on Coutinho, and Barca, to deliver against Lyon on Wednesday as they aim to make amends for a disappointing run of three consecutive quarter-final exits in the Champions League.
"The fact that Paris Saint-Germain and Madrid have been eliminated tells you how hard the competition is and warns us to be vigilant," Valverde said.
"The pressure is on to progress but we focus on the game and if we generate the same chances as we did in the first leg, we will go through."
Madrid sacked Santiago Solari and re-appointed Zinedine Zidane as coach on Monday after they lost to Ajax in the last 16, a defeat that came after consecutive losses to Barcelona.
"He's a great coach," Valverde said of Zidane. "We look forward to facing him next season."
Footballer Emiliano Sala's family grieved on Friday after British authorities formally identified his body as the one recovered from the submerged wreckage of a plane that went down in the Channel more than two weeks ago.
Family mourn Sala after body in Channel wreckage identified
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was fined Sh5.8 million (£45,000, $59,000) by the Football Association on Thursday for suggesting referee Kevin Friend had favoured West Ham in his side's 1-1 draw
Liverpool's Klopp fined over referee comments - Breitbart
Football: Improved Denis Suarez ready to make impact, say Unai Emery LONDON • With Granit Xhaka facing a late fitness test and Lucas Torreira suspended, Unai Emery has challenged Denis Suarez to finally make an impact in Arsenal's bid to climb back into the Premier League's top four.
Improved Suarez ready to make impact: Emery
Nurmagomedov and McGregor both left the ring before the championship belt could be put around Nurmagomedov's waist, and fans in the pro-Conor crowd threw beers and debris at Nurmagomedov on his way out. White said he feared a melee in an arena if he awarded the belt to Nurmagomedov. "I don't even know what to say right now," White said.
Killua Zoldyck | Hunterpedia | FANDOM powered by Wikia
Sergio Aguero is adored at Manchester City and celebrated in the Premier League but Argentina's failures have hit his standing at home. Aguero set to burnish reputation in England amid
Manchester City Not Set to Rest Players for Carabao Cup, Says
Maurizio Sarri condemns the alleged racist abuse of Raheem Sterling by Chelsea supporters but wants the club's main focus to be on Thursday's clash with Vidi. The Blues visit Budapest this week
Sarri condemns abuse of Sterling as 'disgusting', Football
Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has been charged with misconduct for his behaviour during Monday's 2-2 Premier League draw with Burnley, the English Football Association said. The Chelsea coach was
Chelsea's Sarri charged with misconduct over Burnley
That's even without All Blacks stars, and team leaders, Ioane and Tuipulotu who slip in their second mandatory rest for the campaign this week, and with veteran midfielder Sonny Bill Williams a
On this day: Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra hits back
An example: The mouse eats berries, the snake eats the mouse, the fox eats the snake or the minnows eat the algea, the small fish eats the minnow, the big fish eats the small fish, the shark eats
European Tour makes Race to Dubai adjustments for 2019
Juventus Win Eighth Consecutive Serie A Title. celebrates with teammates after Fiorentina scored an own goal following his shot during the Italian Serie A football match Juventus vs Fiorentina
Juventus crowned Serie A champions as Cristiano Ronaldo makes
Brighton moved into the FA Cup quarter-finals for the second successive season as goals from Anthony Knockaert and Jurgen Locadia clinched a 2-1 win over Derby County on Saturday. Chris Hughton's
Brighton edge into FA Cup quarterfinals - Khaleej Times
Klopp says he would have paid for four point lead over City. MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - The four point lead Liverpool have at the top of the Premier League even after a 2-1 defeat to rivals
Man City end Liverpool's unbeaten run, cut lead to four
Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur recently revealed that they are going to Singapore and Shanghai during the summer as they prepare for the 2019-20 campaign. According to the club website
Tottenham confirms Singapore stop during pre-season tour
0 comments:
Post a Comment