Lewandowski to miss Spanish league game after Barcelona ‘exorcise’ Champions League failures

By: Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press Posted: 4:37 AM CDT Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023 Last Modified: 1:02 PM CDT Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023

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MADRID (AP) — Barcelona will be without Robert Lewandowski on Sunday as it turns its focus back to the Spanish league after putting itself in a good position to advance in the Champions League following group-stage elimination in the previous two editions.

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This article was published 05/10/2023 (1093 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Lewandowski sprained his left ankle in the first half of the 1-0 win at Porto on Wednesday and will not be available for the league match at Granada. Barcelona enters the weekend one point behind Spanish league leader Real Madrid, which hosts Osasuna on Saturday.

Barcelona said Lewandowski underwent tests on Thursday, but did not say how long the striker is expected to be sidelined. He could also miss Poland’s games during the upcoming international break.

Barcelona's Ferran Torres gestures after scoring the opening goal during a Champions League group H soccer match between FC Porto and Barcelona at the Dragao stadium in Porto, Portugal, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Luis Vieira)

Barcelona has three straight home games after visiting Granada — against Athletic Bilbao on Oct. 22, Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Oct. 25, and Real Madrid on Oct. 28.

Lewandowski has six goals and four assists in 10 games for Barcelona this season.

The win against Porto gave Barcelona the lead in Group H of the Champions League with six points from two victories, something the Catalan side hadn’t achieved in its first two matches since Lionel Messi’s last season for the club in 2020-21.

Barcelona opened with two consecutive losses in 2021-22, and had already lost once at this point last season.

“If we have been haunted by bad results in recent years, then today we were able to exorcise some of those ghosts,” coach Xavi said after Wednesday’s game, his 100th in charge of the club.

Barcelona didn’t play particularly well against Porto but found a way to win.

“We have matured,” Xavi said. “We were far from our best, but this is Europe, this was Porto, and we left it all on the field.”

Lewandowski was replaced in the 34th minute and was expected to undergo further tests to know the extent of his injury. Xavi also saw youngster Lamine Yamal substituted with stomach pain late in the second half, while defender Ronald Araujo finished the match with cramp. Still out injured are Raphinha, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong.

Unbeaten this season, Barcelona now faces a Granada team that is second-to-last and whose only win came in the third round at Mallorca. It is coming off a 3-3 draw at last-place Almeria in a match it was losing 3-0 at halftime.

Real Madrid, whose only league loss of the season came at rival Atletico Madrid, hosts Osasuna after winning 3-2 at Napoli on Tuesday to also put itself in good position to advance in the Champions League. Coach Carlo Ancelotti may have defender David Alaba back from injury.

Atletico, sitting fourth and with a game in hand, hosts fifth-place Real Sociedad trying to extend its four-game winning streak in all competitions. Both teams won their Champions League games midweek — Atletico defeated Feyenoord 3-2 at home on Wednesday and Sociedad won 2-0 at Salzburg on Tuesday.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone will have striker Álvaro Morata back on domestic duty after a red-card suspension.

Third-place Girona, the biggest surprise of the league, visits Cadiz on Saturday trying to rebound from a 3-0 loss to Madrid at home last weekend. It had entered that match coming off six straight victories and in the lead.

Getafe enters its match at Celta Vigo on Sunday following the announcement that its stadium name was being changed from Coliseum Alfonso Perez to just Coliseum, after the former player made comments saying that female players shouldn’t earn the same as male players because they don’t generate the same revenues. The 51-year-old Perez was born in Getafe but never played for the club.

In other league matches this weekend, sixth-place Athletic Bilbao hosts Almeria, Valencia visits Mallorca, Sevilla hosts Rayo Vallecano and Villarreal welcomes Las Palmas.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer