Dembele comeback suffers further delay as Atletico Madrid return fades away

Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele looked as if he had overcome his injury struggles this season, putting together an entire year without injuries until January. His muscle issue suffered at the end of January looked relatively insignificant initially, but his absence has now stretched to nearly three months.

This week the Frenchman returned to training for Barcelona, with some hope that he might be able to appear briefly against Atletico Madrid this Sunday. However MD say that his return is unlikely to come before their clash against Real Betis, the following week. There will be last minute tests ahead of Rayo Vallecano in midweek in to determine the state of his recovery.

Barcelona have not looked the same with the ball since Dembele came down with that injury. While Raphinha has filled in with a number of crucial goals and assists, the Brazilian fails to generate the same amount of danger or chances, which has seen Robert Lewandowski and the team suffer.