Ousmane Dembele has insisted he will be fit to start for Paris Saint-Germain against Arsenal in the Champions League final.
The latest Ballon d’Or winner came off injured in the first half of PSG’s 2-1 loss to city rivals Paris FC last weekend. Dembele immediately went down the tunnel to receive treatment for a right calf issue.
Fans were worried after the winger missed a PSG training session on Wednesday, but Dembele has assured supporters that he will not be sidelined for arguably the biggest game of the season.
Dembele told RMC Sport: “I’m doing very well. I had a slight scare against Paris FC, but I’m fine and I’ll be ready for the final.
“Will I be 100 per cent for the final? Yes, I think so. Yes, I’ll be ready. I have no doubt about it. I hope to be on the pitch on May 30th.”
Calf injuries have already interrupted Dembele’s season, the French international playing just 1,062 minutes in Ligue 1 as PSG clinched a fifth-straight title.
The former Barcelona man sustained two calf issues earlier in the campaign, which combined with illness, caused him to miss 19 games for the Parisiens.
The 28-year-old claimed his first-half substitution against Paris FC was merely a precaution based on his injury history.
He explained: "I've had so many minor scares or major injuries in my career, whether here at PSG or even before, especially with the big matches coming up, especially this final, I preferred to stop and above all not take any risks."
While Arsenal have a dead-rubber against Crystal Palace this weekend following confirmation of their Premier League title in midweek, PSG have no fixtures scheduled.
That has led to a two-week gap between their last league game and the Champions League final, with PSG boss Luis Enrique tasked with keeping players fit and ready.
Enrique told a press conference on Wednesday: “The program is not yet fully established. We're going to do a little bit of everything. Rest too, because that's important. We should also play a small friendly match, among ourselves.”
PSG will be further buoyed by the news that defenders Nuno Mendes and Willian Pacho have returned to light team training. Neither player has featured since PSG booked their spot in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich on May 6.
Mendes and Pacho have each missed three matches, including PSG’s 2-0 victory over Lens which secured the Ligue 1 title.
Fellow defender Achraf Hakimi did not feature in training, but his recovery from a hamstring injury has progressed well. The right-back is expected to be available for the Champions League final after returning to individual training.
PSG squad players Lucas Chevalier and Quentin Ndjanto are also set to return from minor issues, but neither player is expected to start next Saturday’s final.
