Barcelona Faces Crisis as Lewandowski Injury Devastates Attack, Two Key Backups in Jeopardy
Questions remain about the fitness of Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres, while even greater worries exist regarding Barcelona's key striker Robert Lewandowski's availability.
The veteran attacker's participation during the latter part of last season was restricted due to a hamstring issue. In a troubling turn of events, Barcelona announced that an injury to the identical muscle will prevent Lewandowski from playing against Como in this weekend's Joan Gamper Trophy match.
A concise club statement released on Friday stated: "First team player Robert Lewandowski is dealing with a hamstring issue in his left thigh. The striker will not be available for Sunday's match and his healing process will dictate when he returns."
Lewandowski initially injured this region in April, causing him to miss the Copa del Rey final and the opening leg of the Champions League semifinal versus Inter. The Polish player was substituted in during the final moments of the second leg at San Siro while Barcelona held an aggregate advantage, only for his appearance to extend to an exhausting thirty minutes as Inter equalized in the 93rd minute of stoppage time. Lewandowski remained unused in the crucial Clásico against Real Madrid eleven days afterward.
Hardly any players worldwide take as much pride in maintaining their physical condition as Lewandowski does. The seasoned striker may reach 37 years old this month yet has displayed minimal signs of decline when fit—which happens more frequently than not. Beyond being the previous season's top goalscorer, Lewandowski also featured in 52 matches across all tournaments, a number that only five teammates exceeded.
The seriousness of this persistent injury is yet to be determined. SPORT does not offer a recovery timeline and instead highlights that "uncertainties" surround the fitness of Olmo and Torres, Hansi Flick's preferred alternatives to Lewandowski.
Olmo was absent from Barcelona's latest training session, though this is believed to have been a cautionary decision. The Spanish midfielder missed 20 matches due to three separate muscle problems last season and has reasonably had his playing time carefully monitored.
Torres was also absent from Friday morning's training with what the report characterized as a "muscle strain".
Flick can easily rely on Marcus Rashford as a central striker for Cesc Fàbregas's return to Catalonia on Friday, but complications arise regarding La Liga. Neither Rashford nor Barcelona's other new signings are presently registered to participate in the club's opening league match of the season against Mallorca on Saturday, Aug. 16. This registration process has been further postponed due to an administrative mistake by the organization reviewing the club's financial records.