Barcelona Receives Major Boost as Lewandowski's Comeback Date Revealed
Robert Lewandowski's rehabilitation from a hamstring problem has progressed faster than initially anticipated, with the Polish striker potentially ready for selection as early as this weekend, according to several Spanish media outlets.
Barcelona secured a comfortable 3–0 victory over Mallorca on Saturday without their leading goalscorer from last season. Raphinha opened the scoring after seven minutes before Ferran Torres, who spearheaded the attack in Lewandowski's place, extended the away side's lead in somewhat disputed fashion.
Antonio Raíllo was lying on the turf after receiving a powerful strike from Lamine Yamal directly to his face when Torres found the net. Two first-half dismissals for the home team generated such fury at Son Moix that supporters urged their squad to abandon the match in demonstration. It was Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, nevertheless, who seemed most frustrated by the entire situation, criticizing his team for taking their foot off the gas in the second period.
As one of the most experienced members in a young squad, Lewandowski was unavailable to provide the leadership that Flick requires. The forward, who celebrates his 37th birthday on Thursday, sustained his hamstring problem during a practice session earlier this month.
Early assessments suggested that Lewandowski might face a lengthy spell on the sidelines given it was a repeat of the same muscle problem that restricted his participation in the latter stages of the 2024–25 season.
Some of those concerns have been eased. MARCA reported that Lewandowski participated in group training the day following Barcelona's journey to Mallorca, indicating a remarkably swift progression in his rehabilitation. The publication stated that the experienced striker was "moving closer" to his comeback while AS suggested he had already received the "all-clear" to play against Levante on Saturday.
Barcelona's second league fixture of the campaign is an away match against the second-division winners. Levante suffered defeat in their return to the top division over the weekend, conceding a late winner away to Alavés on Saturday.
The Catalan club has a surprisingly poor record at Levante's stadium. Barcelona have managed just one victory from their last four trips to the Ciutat de València and that was only secured by a 92nd-minute winner from Luuk de Jong.