Dembele returns for PSG after six weeks out

AFP | Leverkusen

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Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele was on Monday included in Paris Saint-Germain’s squad to face Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League after a six-week injury layoff.

Dembele’s return for Tuesday’s league stage game will come as a welcome boost for coach Luis Enrique, whose side has been struggling with injuries this season.

Dembele, 28, has been out since injuring a hamstring while on international duty with France in early September. He had been recuperating at a specialist clinic in Qatar and returned to training last week. He missed out on PSG’s entertaining 3-3 draw against Strasbourg on Friday but could play some role in Germany as the European champions seek to make it three wins out of three in the Champions League so far this season.

Leverkusen centre-back Loic Bade, Dembele’s teammate in the France squad, told reporters Monday there was “no secret recipe” to stopping the PSG forward, calling him “a complete player with several qualities”.

“He won the Ballon d’Or -- of course he’s got a lot of quality. He’s good with both feet. I don’t think he’s got a weak side,” Bade said.

“You need to think as a team, defend as a team and be as compact with your teammates as possible.”