Report: Barcelona 'Confident' Ousmane Dembele Will Be Fit for Manchester United

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Barcelona are reportedly "confident" Ousmane Dembele will return from injury in time to face Manchester United in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie at Old Trafford on April 10. 

According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Metro), manager Ernesto Valverde may test Dembele's fitness in Barca's home clash with Atletico Madrid on April 6 to establish how big a role he can play against United.

The French winger picked up a hamstring injury against Rayo Vallecano in their 3-1 win on March 9 but was rushed back to make a substitute appearance in the 5-1 Champions League victory over Lyon at the Camp Nou four days later.

Dembele made a crucial impact, as Barca were only 2-1 ahead on the night and on aggregate when he came on.

But he aggravated the hamstring issue. Per Metro, Valverde admitted after the match it was a "risk" to play the 21-year-old and that "if it wasn't for the scoreline, I wouldn’t have put him on."

It paid dividends in the short term, and if Dembele can return for the first leg against United, Valverde will have been justified in his decision. 

It is not great news for United, though, who are underdogs to advance from the last-eight tie:

The Red Devils' best chance of causing a shock against Barca will be to earn a victory in the first leg at Old Trafford and ideally prevent the Blaugrana from scoring.

That is easier said than done with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the Barca side—and even harder when Dembele is fit.

In La Liga and the Champions League this term, the former Borussia Dortmund man has combined to score 11 goals and provide five assists.

He also has a knack for coming up with goals at the most crucial moments (U.S. Only):

Dembele has established himself as part of Barca's best starting XI this term, and despite United's improvement under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, they would benefit if he were not fit for the first leg.

However, even though Barca have a superior squad to United, they cannot afford to be complacent against Solskjaer's side.

United managed to recover from a 2-0 home defeat in the first leg to get past Paris Saint-Germain in extraordinary fashion in the last 16:

And Solskjaer seems to have reinstated the never-say-die attitude that defined United under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.