‘LOVE IS ALL DEM NEEDS’

ARTURO VIDAL believes that his Barcelona team-mate Ousmane Dembele “needs love”.

The France forward, 21, is reportedly unhappy at the Nou Camp, but scored a late equaliser (above) to earn the Catalan club a 1-1 draw at Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

And Vidal reckons Dembele will be a success in the long term as long as management put an arm round him.

The Chile midfielder said: “Ousmane needs love. He’s a very important player for us, he’s scored some big goals and he’s going to be important for some time to come.”

Barca boss Ernesto Valverde could turn to Dembele, who joined from Borussia Dortmund in August 2017 for a fee which could reach £135million, as his side seek to confirm their place as Group B winners against

PSV Eindhoven.

Valverde has Philippe Coutinho available and Ivan Rakitic has travelled to Holland following a hamstring injury. Both could feature for a Barca side depleted by injuries.

“It was very important. It was a goal that kept us from possibly losing the match,” Valverde said of Dembele’s strike against Atletico. “I have confidence that Ousmane will continue to give his best when he’s on the field.”

Barcelona have failed to win any of their last three matches, with the Atletico draw the sixth La Liga clash in which they have dropped points out of 13 games.