Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele has confirmed that he is “100 per cent” ready for this weekend’s Champions League final against Arsenal, with Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes also declared fit to play.
Concerns regarding current Ballon d’Or holder Dembele’s availability for Saturday night’s showpiece fixture in Budapest were sparked after he was substituted just 27 minutes into PSG’s final Ligue 1 game of the season against rivals Paris FC on May 17.
Dembele - the reigning French top-flight player of the season - was subsequently diagnosed with a strain in his right calf and underwent treatment, though his early withdrawal from the Paris derby was described as a precautionary move.
The France international returned to PSG training earlier this week after missing a shortened in-house friendly, confirming publicly more than once that he would be fit to face Arsenal after what he described as “discomfort” and “a little scare”.
Dembele said he had been told by doctors that there was “nothing to worry about”, though he did not want to take any risks ahead of such a big game and with the World Cup finals approaching this summer.
PSG’s 24-man squad list for the Champions League final confirmed earlier on Friday contained Dembele, who provided further assurances over his condition during the club’s pre-match press conference at the Puskas Arena.
“I wasn't afraid of missing this final because I stopped before (the injury),” Dembele said. “I feel 100 per cent and the group does too. We hope it goes well tomorrow.”
Also included in the PSG squad to meet Arsenal in another major boost was Hakimi.
The right-back - named in Morocco’s final World Cup squad on Thursday - has not played at all since suffering a hamstring injury during the epic nine-goal first-leg tie against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals on April 28.
Hakimi’s status for the final appeared in real doubt and he too missed the intra-squad friendly that consisted of 20-minute halves, contested to keep players sharp amid a two-week break between their last Ligue 1 fixture and the Champions League final, though he has since trained and was expected to be ready for selection.
PSG boss Luis Enrique confirmed on Friday during his own appearance in front of the media that Hakimi was “able to play” in the final, along with Nuno Mendes.
Left-back Mendes has not featured since the second-leg draw with Bayern on May 6 due to a thigh complaint.
With Dembele, Hakimi and Mendes all now available, holders PSG are almost at full strength as they bid to become just the second club in the Champions League era to win back-to-back titles.
They are still missing goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, the back-up to first-choice Matvey Safonov who has not been in a matchday squad since the first leg against Bayern due to his own hamstring issue.
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