Ousmane Dembele Is Optimistic About His Fitness Against Arsenal

Ousmane Dembele wants to fit in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal (Instagram/@psg).

JAKARTA - Paris Saint-Germain striker Ousmane Dembele is optimistic that he will be fit to play against Arsenal in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals, Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Dembele, whose goal in the fourth minute sealed PSG's win in the first leg in north London, was replaced by Bradley Barcola in the 70th minute after sitting and holding the back of his leg.

The French player went straight to the dressing room and underwent a scan on the hamstring which showed that the injury was not too serious.

PSG telah mengonfirmasi bahwa ia mengalami cedera hamstring dan kondisinya membaik, dengan penilaian lebih lanjut akan dilakukan dalam beberapa hari mendatang.

According to ESPN reports, Dembele is undergoing a rehabilitation process with medical staff and there is optimism that he will be ready for the second leg in Paris on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

PSG manager Luis Enrique confirmed on Friday, May 2, 2025, that Dembele was absent from Ligue 1's journey against Strasbourg due to injury. In that match, Les Parisiens lost 1-2.

"He didn't play, that's for sure," Luis Enrique told reporters, refusing to confirm whether he rotated his squad because the Ligue 1 title was already in hand.

"We're going to do what we've been doing so far, with the same idea. Nothing has changed."

"The most important thing is that every minute spent wearing PSG costumes is useful for matches in other competitions," he said.

PSG missed the chance to go through the whole league season unbeaten as they suffered a 1-3 defeat to Nice last weekend.

This means that the defeat to Strasbourg is the second consecutive defeat to PSG in Ligue 1.

Luis Enrique's side can still finish the season unbeaten at home.

However, the Spaniard was not interested in the record as they prepared to face Arsenal in the middle of the week and Reims in the French Cup final later this month.

"This is a match we are preparing for the Champions League, French Cup, not an unbeaten record."

"The motivation is to prepare for the Champions League match, not to break an unbeaten record," he said.