Morgan reacts as PSG release Dembele injury statement before Arsenal 2nd leg

  /  autty

Ousmane Dembele is an injury doubt for the second leg of Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League semi-final clash with Arsenal and PSG have delivered an update on his recovery

Arsenal fan Piers Morgan has weighed in after Paris Saint-Germain shared an update on Ousmane Dembele's recovery from a hamstring injury. Dembele scored the only goal of the game as PSG beat Arsenal 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash on Tuesday.

However, the forward was forced off through injury in the second half and his involvement in the second leg next Wednesday is in doubt. PSG are set to face Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on Saturday and shared an update on Dembele and defender Presnel Kimpembe ahead of the game.

"Having suffered swelling in the second metatarsal bone in his right foot, Presnel Kimpembe will continue to rest over the next few weeks," the statement read. "Ousmane Dembele strained the hamstrings in his right thigh in midweek, but his situation is improving. A further update will be provided in due course."

And Morgan, a lifelong Arsenal fan, has joked that he hopes Dembele will not recover in time for the second leg. "I wish him a full speedy recovery, so long as it doesn't happen by Wednesday," he wrote on social media.

Dembele has been a key player for PSG this season, having scored 33 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions after being used more centrally by Luis Enrique. Speaking immediately after the first leg, Enrique downplayed the seriousness of Dembele's injury.

"He'll undergo tests tomorrow," Enrique said. "It's not serious, it's something very minor, but he's probably a doubt for the second leg. We're going to try to get Dembele back on the pitch.

"But we're a real team. If Ousmane can play, that's better. But if he doesn't, we'll still be a real team. We've been saying that since the start of the season."

Despite PSG being 1-0 up heading into the second leg, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta remains confident that his side can reach the final. "We're at half-time," Arteta said in his post-match press conference.

"Half-time and my message is exactly the same following us beating Real Madrid at home 3-0 - that we have to go to Paris and win the game. We are more than capable of doing it because I saw two very good teams with margins that are so small.

"They had efficiency in front of the goal and their keeper as well made a difference to see the result that we've seen tonight. Certainly, when you score a goal and concede one, you have to. But we did a lot of things very well as well.

"We had a spell in the first half and the game had phases. The first 15-20 minutes, especially them scoring so early in a great combination, playing when the margins as so small, the finishing is unbelievable.

"And then we had especially one issue that we corrected after 15-20 minutes and we sustained that for the rest of the game, which I think turned the game around. If you want to win the Champions League final, you have to do something special and we're going to have to do something special in Paris to be there."

Related: Arsenal Paris Saint-Germain Arteta Kimpembe Dembele
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