Tottenham Staring Down Ballon d’Or Shaped Champions League Barrel
Tottenham Hotspur have potentially drawn the short straw when it comes to Ousmane Dembélé’s recovery from a calf injury suffered earlier this month.
Having been absent from a number of games earlier in the season due to hamstring trouble, Dembélé was ruled out of Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 win over Lyon before the international break and did not link up with the France squad.
However, it is not believed to be a long-term issue as journalist Fabrice Hawkins reported Dembélé is “expected” to be named in the PSG squad for Spurs’ Champions League visit to the French capital on Wednesday.
PSG manager Luis Enrique cast a little doubt over an imminent return, suggesting it could be day-to-day assessments that determine the player’s involvement.
“I don’t know right now, I’m not a doctor,” he told reporters on Friday. “Ousmane is improving, he could start training and be involved in part of it. But we need to be careful, and let’s see how training goes over the next few weeks. Then we’ll see Ousmane Dembélé back on the pitch.”
Dembele Looks to Recapture Ballon d’Or Form
Dembélé won the 2025 Ballon d’Or in September off the back of 51 goals and assists in 53 appearances last season, as PSG won Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and Champions League.
But the forward’s output has unsurprisingly been limited so far in 2025–26. He’s netted just five goals and assists in nine appearances, spread over 425 minutes—but still an average of one direct goal involvement every 85 minutes.
PSG were flying in the Champions League before losing to 10-men Bayern Munich last time out. The reigning champions come into the next round of matches fifth in the standings—top eight is good enough for a bye straight into the last 16 when the league phase concludes.
Spurs have done well in their return to the top European competition. Despite winning only two of four games so far, Thomas Frank’s 10th-place side are the only unbeaten team outside the top four.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tottenham Staring Down Ballon d’Or Shaped Champions League Barrel.
