Ousmane Dembele and Ronald Araujo both joined in full training with Barcelona on Wednesday ahead of Saturday’s Champions League clash against Napoli at the Camp Nou.
The duo are closing in on a return to full fitness after injury and were able to join their team-mates for part of the session as Barcelona confirmed.
“Preparations for Saturday’s Champions League clash with Napoli continued on another hot and steamy morning this Wednesday at the Ciutat Esportiva. Ronald Araujo and Ousmane Dembélé were able to join at least part of the session with the rest of the available players.”
📍 Ciutat Esportiva
⚽ Seguim preparant la tornada de la @ChampionsLeague
💪 R. Araujo i @Dembouz fan part de la sessió amb el grup
🔵🔴 #ForçaBarça
Both players are still considered doubtful for Saturday’s match but may be able to play a part if Barca progress to the quarter-finals of the competition. The return of the duo will be a boost to manager Quique Setien who has seen his injury problems ease over the last few weeks.
Antoine Griezmann and Clement Lenglet are both back in full training and should be available to face Napoli, leaving center-back Samuel Umtiti as the only first-teamer currently on the injured list. The Frenchman has a knee problem and is not expected to play again this season.
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Araujo Provides Defensive Back-Up
Araujo’s return will provide Setien with defensive cover for the Champions League. The 21-year-old has broken into the first team this season and looks set to be promoted to the senior squad for next season.
He has made six La Liga appearances this season and has proven to be an able back-up to Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet. Araujo’s return to fitness is particularly timely given Umtiti is out and Lenglet has only just recovered from a groin injury.
Araujo suffered a sprained ankle while playing for Barcelona B in their promotion play-off final against Sabadell at the end of July but now appears ready to make his comeback if needed in Europe’s top competition.
All Eyes On Dembele
There will be plenty of scrutiny on Dembele for the rest of the week to see if the Frenchman has a chance of playing against Napoli. He’s not featured for the first team since November due to injury but does have the ability to be a game-changer when fit.
According to Javier Miguel at AS, Dembele will participate in his first full training session since he was ruled out for six months in February with a torn hamstring on Thursday. Should he come through the session unscathed there will be plenty of optimism he can go on and play a role for Barca in the Champions League.
Setien’s side will return to training on Thursday morning as they fine-tune their preparations for the visit of Napoli on Saturday. The tie is currently level at 1-1 after the first leg, with the winners set to progress to a quarter-final against Bayern Munich or Napoli.
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Dembele & Araujo Increase Barcelona’s Champions League Options