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Following their loss to UD Almeria last night, things continue to get bad for Barcelona as star striker Robert Lewandowski is understood to have picked up a knock that will rule him out for two weeks.

This claim comes from the reliable Toni Juanmarti, who states that Lewandowski sustained the knock during the Blaugrana’s game against Almeria last night.

More tests will be conducted to determine the extent of the striker’s injury. However, as things stand, the 34-year-old is expected to be sidelined for a period of fourteen days.

It means that the Poland captain is ruled out of Barcelona’s Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Real Madrid coming up this week.

Along with that, the ace goalscorer will also miss La Liga matches against Valencia and Athletic Club over the next couple of weeks.

The report states that Lewandowski could return in time for Barça’s second Clasico of March against Real Madrid, which will be played on March 19 at Spotify Camp Nou in La Liga.

This development comes as a huge blow for Barcelona, who are already struggling due to the absence of key players like Pedri and Ousmane Dembele. Much like Lewandowski, the pair is also expected to be back for the La Liga Clasico on March 19.

This is Lewandowski’s first notable injury problem since he arrived at Barcelona in the summer. Even though he has been going through a rough patch of late, the former Bayern Munich superstar remains an integral player in Xavi’s plans.

Having him sidelined at a crucial juncture of the season, where important games are coming up will certainly be a big blow. This leaves Barça with just two fit forwards in Ferran Torres and Raphinha, although Ansu Fati is expected to be back in time for this week’s Clasico.

How Barcelona manage to deal with his absence over the next couple of weeks could decide how the rest of the season unfolds for them.

After seeing their 18-game unbeaten run snap earlier this week at the hands of Manchester United, FC Barcelona suffered their second defeat in a row as UD Almeria secured a shock 1-0 win over the La Liga leaders.

El Bilal Toure put the relegation-battling minnows ahead at the Power Horse Stadium in the first period. Barça huffed and puffed in search of a way back into the game but could not muster up enough clear-cut chances in the final third to equalise.

With the result, the Blaugrana missed a golden opportunity to stretch their lead atop the table to ten points after Real Madrid were held to a draw last night by Atletico Madrid.

It was a disappointing display overall from Barcelona and speaking after the match, manager Xavi Hernandez admitted that he was very angry at the result, and termed the performance as the worst of the season by his side.

“This was our worst match of the season. I’m very pissed off. It was too difficult. We weren’t there. We weren’t inside the match,” he said.

The Barça legend was honest in his assessment of the result, as he said: “There are no excuses today. We didn’t deserve to win and we have to take responsibility. I’m very pissed off.”

Xavi made as many as four changes to the starting XI today and explaining his decision to rotate, he added: “We noticed fatigue today. That’s why we did so many rotations. The players were tired and it was clear.”

“We want to say sorry to the fans. What we saw today is inexcusable. I don’t understand it,” he said, apologising to the fans.

Meanwhile, Xavi also took the responsibility for the result upon himself, saying: “I am the person most responsible. We failed. Luckily we have a cushion of points in La Liga. I always said that it was going to be extremely difficult to win it.”

“We lacked passion in the first half. In the second half, we tried everything… 3-4-3, Araujo as a striker… Nothing. It wasn’t meant to be. It was not enough.”

Further sending a warning to his players, the manager added: “If we don’t change our mental chip now, it will cost us the league title.”

Early in the second half, Xavi received a yellow card from the referee for protesting a decision. It was his fifth booking of the season, meaning he will be suspended for the game against Valencia. Talking about it, the manager said:

“I’ll be suspended for the next match, and that’s it. Sometimes I protest when I shouldn’t. It’s fine.”

Opening up on the La Liga title race, Xavi added that his team will recover, but the road ahead will not be easy for them.

“We’ll recover, but we won’t win La Liga comfortably. Nobody should think that. We’re competing against Real Madrid, the current champions of La Liga and the Champions League.”

Looking for positives from the outing, Xavi pointed at youngsters Pablo Torre and Angel Alarcon, who came on as late substitutes when Barcelona were chasing the game.

“Pablo Torre and Ángel Alarcón were good when they came on. Pablo is training well and he’s ready to play. He tried to play inside with Lewandowski, but it was difficult,” he said.

Discussing what went wrong for his team on the day, he added: “There’s nothing else to do but self-criticism. We lacked the intensity of Almería to win the match.”

Barcelona will hope to dust off the ghosts of Manchester United and the Europa League as they turn their attention back towards La Liga tomorrow night. Almeria awaits them at the Estadio del Mediterraneo for gameweek 23.

Being eight points clear off Real Madrid in the table, Barça could have the chance to extend their lead as Carlo Ancelotti’s men take on Atletico Madrid.

On the contrary, any slip up at this point, especially after European humiliation could come back to seriously haunt Barcelona in the title race.

They are the favourites for the domestic treble, and must get things back in order before taking on Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg.

Facing 17th-placed Almeria, Xavi has the chance to rotate and experiment tomorrow. A chance for the fringe players to grow into the team, while resting some key players as the schedule continues to get hectic.

Starters
In an ideal situation, tomorrow would have been ideal to rest Robert Lewandowski to keep him fit and fresh for the Madrid game. The Polish international has been in subpar form since the World Cup ended, and a weekend’s worth of rest could do him a world of good.

However, Ansu Fati picked up an injury in training yesterday, ruling him out for the Almeria clash. With Ousmane Dembele also sidelined, that leaves Xavi with just three first-team forwards. And by automation, Lewandowski becomes a starter tomorrow.

He will be aided by Raphinha, who was less-than-ideal against United in the second leg, but has scored and assisted four goals each in La Liga. The left-wing will likely see a start for Ferran Torres.

Gavi was suspended for the United game, and will be eager to get back into the midfield tomorrow. One can expect Franck Kessie to start alongside him in advanced midfield while Sergio Busquets takes the reins as the lone pivot

Xavi decided to take off Ronald Araujo as a precaution in midweek, and based on that, we can expect the Uruguayan to start from the bench tomorrow. This paves the way for Jules Kounde to start in central defence.

Similarly, we can expect some rest for Andreas Christensen, too, who will probably be replaced by Eric Garcia as the starting centre-half.

Sergi Roberto should be moved from left-wing to right-back, while Jordi Alba gets the nod over Alejandro Balde as the left-back.

This back-four will have the responsibility of shielding an in-form Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who looks for his 17th(!) clean sheet of the season.

Ferran · Lewandowski · Raphinha
Gavi · Busquets · Kessie
Alba · Eric · Kounde · Roberto
ter Stegen

Substitutes
With no other first-choice forwards available, Xavi will have to rely on the services of Angel Alarcon. The Spaniard made his debut against Cadiz last weekend.

Similarly, if the game is going in favour of Barça, Pablo Torre could finally be called into action. The youngster attacking acumen and creativity could help be sharpened in these few games as Barcelona look to reinforce the midfield in Pedri’s absence.

If he indeed starts from the bench, Frenkie de Jong is definitely an option to replace any of the three midfielders.

Not to forget Marcos Alonso, who continues to get minutes despite having not won over the Camp Nou faithful. Marc Casado could also be an option in midfield or right-back if he does, indeed, get the call-up.

It has been a buzzing week for FC Barcelona, not least because of Lionel Messi’s visit to the city, as he dined with his former teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

Shortly after his visit, rumours started pouring in over the attacker’s potential return to Camp Nou at the end of the season, with the Barcelona team captains even reportedly willing to lower their salaries further in order to accommodate the Argentine.

While Messi was enjoying with his former teammates in Barcelona recently, his father and agent Jorge Messi was also busy and reportedly had a meeting with Joan Laporta recently. The two parties talked about the future of the Argentine ace, among other things.

However, Messi is now back in Paris and gearing up for the upcoming matches.

And according to Gabriel Sans, the meeting between his entourage and Barcelona did not bear any fruit for the club as of yet, who have not been able to make a breakthrough in their quest to re-sign the attacker.

This hardly comes as a surprise to any logical fan, especially given the club’s financial status and how they have been crippled in the market due to La Liga’s Financial Fair Play regulations. Messi’s dysfunctional relationship with Laporta does not particularly help Barça’s case either.

Although nothing has been ruled out just yet, re-signing Messi could be more than a monumental task for Barcelona. The Catalans might even be better off without trying to bring their prodigal son back to the city and instead focus on other targets.

Despite recent speculations, the 35-year-old is understood to be only talking to PSG over his future, and with Jorge Messi and the PSG entourage set to hold a meeting in the near future, a renewal might soon become a reality.

Ilias Akhomach is one of La Masia’s brightest stars in recent years and has been touted as the next big thing in the Blaugrana attack for a long time. He made three appearances for the first team at the tender age of 17 last season, and many thought it was a stepping stone to greater success.

However, the storyline since then has not been a bed of roses for Ilias. Contractual disagreements have restricted his involvement with the senior setup this term, and Xavi Hernandez has preferred young Angel Alcaron in his place.

According to reports from ESPN, Leeds United eye the now 18-year-old winger as a possible signing for next season. Ilias will be a free agent come June, and with no agreement reached with Barcelona over an extension, he becomes a realistic target for the Premier League side.

The Catalans are said to be open to retaining the player but cannot match the wages demanded by his entourage. Leeds can satisfy the monetary criteria, however, a big part of the speculated move will depend on whether they can avoid relegation.

The English team are in jeopardy, with no manager in place and in 19th place on the league standings. Yet, with just two points separating them from the safe zone, staying in the first division is a real possibility.

AC Milan are the other big club eyeing his acquisition but do not promise minutes with their senior team, something the English party offers.

The teenager has made 24 appearances for Barca Atletic this term, scoring two goals in the process. He has started just 13 of his 20 games in the league and has not completed a game in over a month. Currently, the youngster is serving a four-game ban for his vicious words against the referee earlier this month.

Only time will tell whether Ilias renews with Barcelona or leaves as a free agent.

Barcelona will be hoping to get back to winning ways after the 2-2 draw against Manchester United as they take on Cadiz in La Liga.

There is one major change to the squad that will hope to cement their position on top of La Liga. Pedri picked up an injury against Manchester United and has been ruled out for a month.

Ronald Araujo will not be a part of the clash as he is suspended for an accumulation of cards. The Uruguayan was one of the better players against United, and the suspension comes as a boon as Xavi will need him to be at his best during the second leg.

There is good news, too, as Sergio Busquets has received the medical green light. He is back in the squad and will likely start immediately against Cadiz.

Meanwhile, Ousmane Dembele is still injured and could miss another few weeks’ worth of games

Ruben Neves of Wolverhampton Wanderers has been heavily linked with a move to FC Barcelona, as a possible replacement for captain Sergio Busquets.

The Portuguese international has been on the club’s radars for a while, with reports suggesting that he is also the preferred option for president Joan Laporta.

In fact, recent reports suggested that super-agent Jorge Mendes had offered Neves to Barcelona, even though manager Xavi Hernandez continues to have doubts about his suitability.

Amidst this, Fabrizio Romano has come up with an update on the situation surrounding the former FC Porto starlet, stating that while his name has been discussed at Barcelona, the Catalans have other priorities for the summer, which include a certain Martin Zubimendi.

“He’s been discussed with Barcelona but they have different priorities for the summer including Martin Zubimendi, so let’s see how they will decide to proceed,” Romano said (via Caught Offside).

Zubimendi has long been touted to be Xavi’s preferred option to take over from Busquets in case the club captain leaves at the end of the season.

However, the problem with the 23-year-old Spaniard is that he has a release clause worth €60 million in his contract with Real Sociedad. And La Real are not willing to offer any discounts on that figure, which puts Barça in a difficult spot.

The Catalan heavyweights’ financial problems make it near-impossible for Xavi & co. to shell out such a sum on a single player, especially when there are other areas that the club wish to bolster in the summer.

As for Neves, the Portuguese international was reported to be keen on a move to Barcelona in the past. However, as per recent reports, the midfielder is now open to listening to offers from clubs in the Premier League amid Xavi’s doubts.

Barcelona forward Ferran Torres’ stock has plummeted in recent times, with the 22-year-old struggling to get into the starting XI under Xavi Hernandez.

Having arrived in January last year, the Spaniard made a good initial impression. But, his performances this season have not been up to the mark. With increased competition in the squad, Torres’ game-time has taken a major hit, especially after the World Cup break.

The forward’s reduced prominence and the club’s need to make big sales in the summer have led to speculations over his future at Camp Nou beyond the current campaign.

According to SPORT, however, Torres has no intention to leave Barcelona in the summer transfer window as the versatile attacker wants to prove himself and succeed at the club.

The 22-year-old has not started a game in La Liga since November, while his last start across all competitions came in the Copa del Rey clash against minnows AD Ceuta.

Despite his situation, Torres is understood to be calm and comfortable at Barça and is hopeful of turning his situation around.

The 22-year-old former Valencia forward did not pay any attention to proposals from the Premier League in the January transfer window. And he is unlikely to change that stance come summer.

Barcelona are understood to be aware of Torres’ stance on his future, although the club will assess the situation in the summer and decide what is best for all parties.

Amidst this, Atletico Madrid are believed to be retaining an interest in the 22-year-old Spanish international. The Rojiblancos already raided Barcelona for Memphis Depay last month and hold a degree of interest in Ferran Torres too.

It must be noted that Barça are keen on signing Yannick Carrasco and have a €20 million purchase option for him in the summer. Whether Torres enters the operation in any form remains to be seen.

“Ansu is not for sale, he is a very important player for us — for now and for the future”
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez made it clear that for him Ansu Fati is not for sale and was angry that these transfer issues are coming up now.

“I don’t understand why this is being talked about now in our circles,” he said. “There is no market now, so Ansu is not for sale. He is a very important player for us — for now and for the future.”

Xavi made it clear that: “I have extraordinary confidence in him. His performances will determine whether he gets more or fewer minutes. I really have blind confidence in him.

“He has to be a very important piece of the present and future. But he must be patient. There is too much haste in everything.”

The coach affirmed that “the January window is over and I don’t know why we are talking about this. We have to focus on what is at stake. For me, it’s clear that he has to continue.”

Barcelona completed a fair few exit operations in the summer as they offloaded the likes of Francisco Trincao, Samuel Umtiti, Sergino Dest, and Clement Lenglet. The Catalans were also able to seal a move away for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who joined Chelsea for around €12 million.

The Gabonese centre-forward signed for Barcelona in the winter of 2022 as a free agent, and immediately became a Camp Nou favourite. He ended the 2021/22 season with 11 goals in 17 league appearances.

However, after the arrival of Robert Lewandowski, Aubameyang found a place on the bench more often than not and was eventually sold by the club due to economic problems.

He was signed under the management of Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked soon after by Chelsea. His replacement, Graham Potter, has not quite grown fond of Auba, leaving him on the bench more often than not.

The striker was excluded from Chelsea’s Champions League squad as well, which opened the door to exit rumours. MLS club Los Angeles FC are interested in acquiring him, but the player does not want to leave Europe, according to Matt Law.

The English journalist claims that Aubameyang feels he can still earn a place among the top clubs. Interestingly, Barcelona seem to be interested in him for the summer.

The Catalans do not have a backup option for Robert Lewandowski in the No. 9 role and had considered signing Aubameyang in January. However, La Liga rules prevented a return from materialising.

But, the veteran forward could be back on the agenda at Barça for the next transfer window. However, AC Milan and Atletico Madrid are also keeping tabs on the player and could make a move in the summer.

Now 33, Aubameyang does not quite have a lot to prove in his career at this point. However, much like when he signed for Barça initially, the Chelsea attacker is evidently determined to cement his legacy as one of the best ever in his position.

Whether a return to Camp Nou comes to fruition remains to be seen, especially as Barcelona are also working to sign Vitor Roque to strengthen their attack.