FC BARCELONA
The Latest Precedents Without Lewandowski: Thrilling Goal Spreads for Barça
Published:20/04/2025 - 17:59h
Updated:21/04/2025 - 07:49h
Barça could lose Lewandowski for 2 or 3 weeks. How have the 'culés' fared without the '9'? We review it below
Robert Lewandowski's injury could not have come at a worse time for FC Barcelona. Although the club has not specified his time off, it is likely that the Pole will be out for at least two or three weeks with Barça, due to an injury to the hamstrings of his left leg.
This will knock out the Barça goalscorer for the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid and, almost certainly, for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan. The striker has 40 goals in 48 games with Barça this season and has only missed three games due to technical decision.
However, the precedents without 'Lewy' on the field have been positive for Barça in 24-25. The 'killer' only rested on one matchday of La Liga and two Copa matches, both resolved by a goal spread by the 'azulgrana' team.
The average of goals per game in these three matches is impressive, since in each of these presentations Hansi Flick's team scored 5 goals, receiving only 2.
The results of Barça in the three matches without Lewandowski
Robert was left without playing for the first time on December 3rd, in the advanced match of matchday 19 of La Liga. Barça visited Mallorca in the middle of a streak of three matches without winning in the tournament and won with authority (1-5) after a productive matchday for Ferran Torres and Raphinha.
The 'Shark' opened the scoring in the 12th minute and, although the locals equalized the actions before the break with a goal from Muriqi, Raphinha (double), Frenkie de Jong and Pau Víctor liquidated the Balearic team in a great second half for the 'culés'.
In January, Flick took advantage of the Copa to give Lewandowski another breather. In the round of 16, against Betis (5-1), the team once again scored another 'manita' after a great collective performance. Gavi made it 1-0 right at the start of the match (minute 3) and Jules Koundé extended the lead before the initial half hour (27').
In the second half, Raphinha, Ferran and Lamine Yamal sealed the goal spread. Afterwards, in the quarter-finals against Valencia (0-5), another thrashing would arrive on an unforgettable night for the 'Shark'. The '7' scored a 'hat-trick' in the first half hour, where Fermín López also scored (min. 23). In the second half, Lamine made it five in the 59th minute.
In these three matches, Robert was available, but he did not need to enter due to the comfortable advantage obtained by the team.
- Mallorca 1-5 FC Barcelona (LaLiga, matchday 19). Goals: Ferran Torres (min. 12); Raphinha (min. 56, p.); Raphinha (min. 74); Frenkie de Jong (min. 79); Pau Víctor (min. 84).
- FC Barcelona 5-1 Betis (Copa del Rey, round of 16). Goals: Gavi (min. 3); Jules Koundé (min. 27); Raphinha (min. 58); Ferran Torres (min. 67); Lamine Yamal (min. 75).
- Valencia 0-5 FC Barcelona (Copa del Rey, quarter-finals). Goals: Ferran Torres (min. 3); Ferran Torres (min. 17); Fermín López (min. 23); Ferran Torres (min. 30); Lamine Yamal (min. 59).
This is how Barça fared with Lewandowski as a substitute
On the other hand, Robert was also a substitute in two other La Liga matchdays and in the 'semis' of the Copa del Rey. Against Valencia (7-1), the Pole only played the last 30 minutes, scoring a goal.
The same happened against Osasuna (3-0), a match in which the '9' closed the goal spread by scoring the last 'culé' goal in the 22 minutes he was on the field. In the first leg of the semi-final against Atlético, 'Lewy' made it 4-2 in a night where he also played 22'.
In the return leg at the Metropolitano (0-1), the striker entered in the final quarter of an hour, but could not score. Thus, Barça remains undefeated this season without Lewandowski in the lineup, with 6 wins and 1 draw.
| Date | Competition | Match | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26/01/25 | LaLiga | Barça-Valencia | 7-1 |
| 25/02/25 | Copa del Rey | Barça-Atlético | 4-4 |
| 27/03/25 | LaLiga | Barça-Osasuna | 3-0 |
| 02/04/25 | Copa del Rey | Atlético-Barça | 0-1 |
Ferran Torres must step up in the Copa
In the case of the Copa final against Real Madrid, all eyes will once again be on Ferran Torres. The 'Shark' has been Barça's center forward in the tournament, responding to Flick's confidence with 5 goals in 4 matches. Thanks to this, he is the 'Pichichi' of the tournament.
The '7' did not play in the debut against Barbastro (0-4) and was a substitute against Betis (played 26'). Afterwards, he was a starter against Valencia and the two matches against Atlético, scoring the goal in the return leg at the Mettropolitano that gave the 'azulgrana' team the qualification to the final.
Against Betis, Flick opted for Dani Olmo as a false '9', a plan that also gave very good results. The other alternative for the Pole is Pau Víctor, who despite playing only 267 minutes in the season has scored a couple of goals against Osasuna (4-2) and Mallorca (1-5), in addition to giving an assist against Villarreal (1-5).
As such, beyond being a sensitive loss, Hansi Flick has tools to cover the loss of Robert Lewandowski in the coming weeks. Where his absence may be most noticeable is in the Champions League, as he is the player in the squad with the most experience in these instances.
⚽Goalscorers of the Copa del Rey 2024-25
- Ferran Torres (FC Barcelona): 5 goals in 4 matches.
- Endrick Felipe (Real Madrid): 5 goals in 5 matches.
- Julián Álvarez (Atlético de Madrid): 5 goals in 7 matches.
