Spanish La Liga giants Barcelona are actively preparing for their heavyweight El Clásico clash against arch-nemesis Real Madrid at the end of October, but news have broken out that their 35-year-old striker Robert Lewandowski will be unavailable for the match, as the Poland national team captain recently sprained his left ankle against Portuguese outfit Porto in Matchday 2 of this 2023/2024 UEFA Champions League Season. As reported, Robert Lewandowski’s absence could be extended for more than a month, meaning he will miss not only the El Clásico versus Real, but multiple important league and Champions League games for Xavi’s Barca.
Robert Lewandowski to Miss More Than a Month for Barca
The joint-seventh top scorer in men’s international football Robert Lewandowski recently picked up an ankle injury when Xavi’s Barcelona travelled to Estádio do Dragão to face Porto in Matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League. Despite having midfielder Gavi sent off after two yellow cards in the game, the 10-man Catalan Giants managed to pulled off a 1-0 win over the Portuguese Primeira Liga powerhouse, but has lost Robert Lewandowski as early as in the first half. The Polish international was hurt after a heavy challenge by Porto defender David Carmo in the 27th minute and was forced to leave the field 7 minutes later, while his replacement Ferran Torres gave Xavi’s side the only goal in the match.
In a statement from Barca’s official site, they confirmed that the 35-year-old Robert Lewandowski has sprained his left ankle during the Champions League game and is likely to miss a handful of matches during his absence. It reads “Tests conducted this Thursday morning have revealed that Robert Lewandowski has sprained his left ankle and will be out of action until the injury heals.”
Image: Lewandowski’s leg following his injury. pic.twitter.com/Z6PJia2oIc
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) October 4, 2023
Barca’s Long List of Injuries Just Got Extended
Barcelona will have nine matches in the remainder of October and the whole of November, thus Robert Lewandowski’s ankle injury is a huge blow to Xavi’s squad, who are already shorthanded with other key players missing due to injuries. Apart from the Polish international’s conditions, midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Pedri as well as forward Raphinha are unavailable for Barca games, after they picked up ankle, thigh and hamstring injuries respectively. The only silver lining for Xavi is that all football clubs will be going through the second international of the season later this month, which will provide a substantial amount of time for his injured players to expedite their recovery processes.
The first El Clásico of the 2023/2024 football season will not take place until the end of this month, but fans can get their adrenaline high with this weekend’s Super Sunday showdown between Arsenal and Manchester City at Emirates in the English Premier League. We have included some of the key analysis, head-to-head record, recent forms and our very own prediction in this article, check it out now!
Poland to Be without Robert Lewandowski for the Next International Break
In light of Robert Lewandowski’s injury, Poland, who will meet Faroe Islands and Moldova for the next round of the 2024 UEFA Euro Qualifiers in this month’s international break, also released a statement on their captain’s conditions. “Robert Lewandowski was injured in Wednesday’s Champions League match between FC Porto and FC Barcelona. Unfortunately, it is now known that this excludes him from playing in the upcoming matches of the Polish national team in the European Championship qualifiers. Lewandowski was fouled in the 20th minute of the match. He tried to continue playing, but in the 34th minute he left the field. On Thursday morning, he underwent detailed examinations, which revealed a sprain of the ankle joint of his left leg.”
The team doctor in the Biało-czerwoni camp Jacek Jaroszewski also added: “I talked to Robert today and saw the results of his tests. Unfortunately, the injury turned out to be so serious that it excludes Robert’s participation in the national team’s training camp and his appearances in the matches against the Faroe Islands and Moldova, as well as in the upcoming matches of Barcelona. There was ligament damage in the ankle joint, the club has already established a treatment plan.”
Also Read: 2024 UEFA Euro Qualifiers: France Beat Ireland 2-0 to Maintain Their Perfect Record
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