Leverkusen, Germany, 21 October (H.S.): Ballon d'Or holder Ousmane Dembélé has been named in the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) squad for their Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, marking his return after a six-week injury layoff.

The 28-year-old French forward's comeback is a significant boost for coach Luis Enrique, whose side has been hampered by injuries this season. Dembélé sustained a hamstring injury while on international duty with France in early September and returned to training last week following specialized treatment at a clinic in Qatar.

He sat out Friday's thrilling 3-3 draw against Strasbourg but is expected to feature for some minutes in Germany as the reigning European champions seek a third consecutive Champions League victory.

Leverkusen's center-back and Dembélé's French teammate, Loïc Badé, acknowledged the challenge of facing the star forward. There is no secret way to stop Dembélé, Badé said.

He is a complete player with many qualities. He won the Ballon d'Or, which means he has extraordinary talent. He can play with both feet and has no weaknesses in his game. We have to think as a team, defend collectively, and stay compact to stop him.

PSG was reinforced by the return of forwards Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the Strasbourg match. However, midfielders Fabián Ruiz and João Neves remain sidelined with injuries.

Captain Marquinhos, who recently recovered from an injury himself, has traveled with the team to Germany.Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand, who took over from Erik ten Hag in September, described PSG's high-pressing style as both a weapon and a risk.

They are an excellent team that has improved since last year, Hjulmand stated. But we also have a lot of quality and we want to show it. We have confidence in our game.

The 2024 Bundesliga champions, Leverkusen, started their Champions League campaign with draws against FC Copenhagen and PSV Eindhoven in their opening two matches.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar