Ousmane Dembele limped off for Barcelona with a right thigh injury in the first half of a Champions League clash against his old club Borussia Dortmund.
Dembele was surprisingly handed a place in the team at the expense of Antoine Griezmann but only managed 25 minutes of the Group F clash at Camp Nou.
The France forward appeared to hurt his right thigh in an innocuous challenge with a Dortmund defender and had to be taken off by coach Ernesto Valverde with scans to be conducted to work out the extent of the injury.
Article continues below
Editors' Picks
- Madness at Mestalla: Chelsea are flawed but so much fun
- Why is Chelsea's £71m record signing Kepa showing signs of struggle?
- Sancho to Barcelona? Dortmund's £100m man must first prove he can cut it in the Champions League
- Hazard injury overshadows fine Real Madrid display
As he left the field, Dembele was visibly distressed as he was forced to face the reality of a further stint on the sidelines.
Griezmann was introduced for Dembele with Barca soon opening the scoring through Luis Suarez before Lionel Messi doubled their lead before the break.
Dembele has struggled for form and fitness so far this season, scoring a single goal in five La Liga appearances, while he has failed to find the net in four Champions League games.
Prior to the match, Dembele admitted he’s had to fight hard to secure a first-team spot again after picking up an injury early in the season.
“I felt very well in pre-season but then got injured and was out for a month,” Dembele told Barca TV. “When I came back I had more problems and now I have to fight.
“We have a great team and there’s more competition than in past seasons.”
Click Here: Golf Equipment Online
Dembele joined Barca from Dortmund in 2017 and the attacker conceded coming up against the Bundesliga side would be emotional but stressed the match was crucial for the Catalans.
“It’ll be a very special match for me,” he said. “I have former teammates there. We’ll be rivals on the night but nothing changes.
“I left three years ago and haven’t seen them since then. Emotionally it’ll be difficult, but I’ll be happy to play against them.
“We have to win against Dortmund to ensure qualification as soon as possible. It’s the most important match of the first half of the season.
“With the support of our fans, we hope to take three points and go to Inter in peace.”