Striker supreme Robert Lewandowski has recovered from his hamstring injury and resumed training with his FC Barcelona teammates. It is (at least somewhat) likely that he could feature this weekend at Levante, but in what capacity remains to seen. After missing the season opening win over RCD Mallorca, Lewandowski is basically touch-and-go for this one.
“We will include him if we can,” Barcelona boss Hansi Flick. “Of course we will think about how the match is going. But as number nine, we have options.”
FC Barcelona at Levante FYIs
Kickoff: Saturday August 23, 9:30pm, Ciutat de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
Google’s Result Probability: FC Barcelona 77% Draw 14% Levante 19%
Barca Starting Lineup Prediction: go here
La Liga Standing, Form, Goal Differential: FC Barcelona 1st, 3 pts, W, +3 Levante 14th, 0 pts, L, -1
Barca Team News
Flick went on to articulate who could fill the scoring void, if Lewy can’t go: “We have Ferran, who scored a goal, and this is the best argument to keep playing. But we will try to include Lewandowski.”
And with that, the Barcelona injury list is very short.
Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen remains on the sidelines, due to his long-term back injury. However, Flick has other selection issues to contend with, as the wife of midfielder Frenkie de Jong gave birth to their second child this week.
“You know I don’t speak a lot about these things,” Flick said on this matter.
“Normally Frenkie is always ready to go on the pitch. But I don’t want to speak about that.”
In terms of who could fill the Dutchman’s role, in the holding/defensive midfield position, Flick explained:
“Yes, Gavi, Casado. They can also play this position.”
And then finally, Roony Bardghji and Hector Fort will be unavailable, as later confirmed by Flick, due to their involvement in the friendly against Barca Atletic today.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter