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Barcelona are aiming to overcome a four-goal deficit when they face Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie, but they will have to get it done without the services of Robert Lewandowski.
The 37-year-old’s body has broken down on numerous occasions this season, and this is the latest instalment. This time, it is not a muscular issue, but rather, he suffered an unfortunate eye injury during Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Villarreal at the Spotify Camp Nou, as Barcelona have confirmed.
“First team player Robert Lewandowski picked up an injury in the recent game against Villarreal. Tests have diagnosed a fracture of the left eye socket.”
Lewandowski will not be involved against Atleti
Image via David Ramos/Getty Images
As per MD, Lewandowski suffered the injury in the 88th minute after colliding with the shoulder of Villarreal defender Pau Navarro. He would go on to score Barcelona’s fourth goal of the afternoon in stoppage time, which is rather impressive considering the fact that his vision was impaired by the blow.
As part of the medical report, Barcelona have confirmed that Lewandowski will not be in contention to play against Atleti on Tuesday. It means that Hansi Flick will start with Ferran Torres as his striker, which could be a concern as the Spain international has scored three goals in his last 16 appearances across all competitions.
Barcelona need Ferran to be at his best on Tuesday if they are to complete an unlikely comeback against Atleti. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha will complete the attack, and while they are each capable of winning matches on their own, they will need to be backed up by the third point of Flick’s attacking trident.
It remains to be seen how much Barcelona miss Lewandowski against Atleti, but there is little that can be done about it now.