Lewandowski to miss both PSG games with knee injury
Bayern Munich will be without leading goal scorer Robert Lewandowski for the next four weeks due to sprained ligaments in his right knee.
Robert Lewandowski will miss both legs of the Champions League quarter-final tie with Paris Saint-Germain after Bayern Munich confirmed he is to be sidelined for a month with a knee injury.
Lewandowski injured on international duty
Lewandowski sustained damage to his right knee during Poland's 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Andorra on Sunday, a game in which he scored twice. Poland subsequently confirmed he was to play no part in the upcoming clash with England and that he was due to return to Bayern for treatment. It was initially thought the 32-year-old would only be absent for up to 10 days, however, Bayern confirmed on Tuesday that the issue is slightly more serious than first suspected.
A statement revealed Lewandowski is now expected to be out for most of April. It read: "Robert Lewandowski has strained a ligament in his right knee. The FC Bayern striker will be out for around four weeks. After Poland's 3-0 win over Andorra, Lewandowski returned early to Munich, where a diagnosis was made by the German record champions' medical team."
Lewandowski injury couldn't have happened at a worse time
While losing Lewandowski for so long would be a major blow regardless of the opponents Bayern have lined up, his forced absence comes at a particularly critical moment in the season. The reigning Bundesliga champions face title rivals RB Leipzig this weekend, before meetings with PSG in the Champions League either side of Union Berlin's visit.
It will be a repeat of last season's Champions League final, which Bayern emerged from as 0-1 victors last August.
Losing Lewandowski will cause Bayern significant concern in attack, with their squad not possessing another senior central striker, meaning either Thomas Muller will be moved in to deputise or Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting will take on a more important role for the time being. On a personal level, losing a month of the season could derail Lewandowski's hopes of breaking Gerd Müller's record of 40 goals in a single Bundesliga campaign. The former West Germany star achieved the feat in 1971-72 with Bayern and Lewandowski is just five off equalling it, having netted 35 in 25 games this season. Assuming Lewandowski is out for exactly four weeks, he will have three matches to score five or more goals – those games coming against Borussia Mönchengladbach, Freiburg and Augsburg.