The October international break, and the club training period that followed it hasn’t been kind to FC Barcelona. As the club reported earlier today, Robert Lewandowski has suffered a torn thigh muscle, and he’s set for a spell on the sidelines. He’ll miss the Catalan derby against Girona on Saturday, as well as El Clasico next weekend.
According to some reports, Lewandowski could miss up to five weeks.
Catalan Derby FYIs
FC Barcelona vs Girona
Kick: Sat. Oct. 18, 4:15pm, Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Catalonia
Barca Preview Material: Full Injury List Team News Starting XI Prediction
La Liga Standing: Girona 18th, 6 pts, Barca 2nd, 19 pts
La Liga Form: Girona DLDDDW Barcelona WWWWL
Result Probability: Girona 7% Draw 11% Barca 82%
Barcelona Team News
The absence of Lewandowski just compounds the selection issues in attack and midfield. Dani Olmo suffered a calf injury while on international duty with Spain, and he’ll miss out on this weekend, and the next.
Meanwhile Raphinha will miss out this weekend, but he should be back for the Clasico.
Elsewhere Gavi, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Joan Garcia remain sidelined as longer-term injury absentees.
However, there is some good news- both Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez returned to training this week, so they’ll be good to go on the weekend.
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