Copa del Rey

Lewandowski to miss Copa del Rey semifinal Atlético Madrid: what injury does the Barcelona forward have?

Barcelona’s Polish forward is out with an injury that will see him miss the second leg of the Copa del Rey against Atlético Madrid.

JOSEP LAGO
Football Journalist
Born in Leeds, Joe finished his Spanish degree in 2018 before becoming an English teacher to football (soccer) players and managers, as well as collaborating with various football media outlets in English and Spanish. He joined AS in 2022 and covers both the men’s and women’s game across Europe and beyond.
Update:

Robert Lewandowski will miss FC Barcelona’s Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Atlético Madrid after it was confirmed that the striker had suffered a fracture to his eye socket in the LaLiga win over Villarreal CF on Saturday.

In a statement, the club said: First team player Robert Lewandowski picked up an injury in the recent game against Villarreal. Tests have diagnosed a fracture of the left eye socket.

He will miss the game against Atlético Madrid,” the statement confirmed.

Frenkie de Jong and Eric García out against Atleti

Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong will not play in the Copa del Rey final, also due to injury. He is currently recovering from a hamstring issue that will see him miss out on the action for over a month.

Eric García, meanwhile, is suspended for the game after receiving a red card in the first leg, held in the Spanish capital. That game saw Atlético Madrid tear Barcelona apart, scoring 4 goals in the first half.

The second leg, to be held at Camp Nou, will be a huge test for Hansi Flick’s side, as they look to overturn a seriously wide scoreline. And without Lewandowski’s firepower up front, that task will be even greater.

The last time the two sides met at Camp Nou in the Copa del Rey was inn the first leg of the semi-final round last year. On that occasion, fans were treated to an all-time great game of Spanish football, with the match finishing 4-4. Barcelona won the second leg 0-1 in Madrid.

After a somewhat irregular run, Atlético appear to have found their form this season, and have won their last three games, scoring 9 goals in that time. Against Real Oviedo, their most recent game, it took a last-gasp Julián Álvarez goal to give them all three points, but the away win will be huge psychologically ahead of their trip to Spain’s east coast.

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