Barcelona Confirm Star Player Is Injured, Could Miss Champions League Match Vs. Chelsea

The Champions League is back in a few weeks - hallelujah, and Barcelona could be without an important player ahead of the Chelsea game.

Along with Paris Saint-Germain vs. Real Madrid, Barcelona vs. Chelsea was the other standout tie in the last 16 of the Champions League knockout stages.

The defending English champions host the La Liga leaders on 20th February with the return leg three weeks later.

With Barcelona flying in the domestic season, which includes being a massive 19 points (!!) clear of Real Madrid, the Catalans can focus on their European excursion without any real distraction from their league campaign.

But Barcelona could be dealt a huge blow for the first leg.

The club have confirmed Ousmane Dembele has sustained ANOTHER hamstring injury and is facing over a month on the sideline. He's in a race to be fit for the Chelsea game.

_{Dembele celebrates with Messi. Image: PA}

Barcelona's spirited fightback at the Anoeta on Sunday night came at a price.

They won their first game at Real Sociedad since 2007 after coming from 2-down, to eventually secure all three points in a stunning 4-2 victory, which included a brace from Luis Suarez not to mention a sublime free-kick from Lionel Messi.

Dembele entered the fray in the 65th minute with the score 2-a-piece. Six minute later, Barcelona took the lead.

A day removed from their 16th league victory, Dembele felt a twinge in his left thigh. Subsequent tests have revealed that the player has suffered a hamstring injury of the semitendinosus muscle.

Though, fortunately, it does not affect the area operated on earlier in the season.

_{Dembele in action for Barcelona against Celta Vigo. Image: PA}

The 20-year-old has only featured seven times for his new side since his €105 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.

While he's yet to hit the back of the net, Dembele has created a few goals, while playing a starring role for Barcelona during their Copa del Rey game versus Celta Vigo.

Chelsea fans will be hoping Dembele isn't fully fit by the time February comes around, while Ernesto Valverde will be praying he's back in time for the juggernaut European clash.

Feb 20th can't come soon enough.

Topics: Football News, Chelsea, Football, Barcelona, Champions League

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado, and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping and Anthony Joshua. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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