Lewandowski is fit and firing to start for Barcelona against Athletic Club

NEWS

Lewandowski is fit and firing to start for Barcelona against Athletic Club

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The Polish striker will return from a short layoff at San Mames this weekend

Robert Lewandowski is back. The Polish striker is fully recovered from his physical problems and will have no problem being in Xavi's starting XI against Athletic Club on Sunday if required. He is even in condition to play all 90 minutes at San Mamés. 

Robert suffered a minor hamstring problem after the loss in Almeria. Although there was no injury, the player was forced to slow down the pace in order to recover in the best possible time and not risk more serious problems.

He knows his body well and, in that sense, did not want to set a date for his return, although everything pointed to the fact that it would not be a long absence, as it turned out to be.

His absence will have lasted exactly two weeks, in which the striker will have missed two games, the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Madrid and the LaLiga game against Valencia at the Spotify Camp Nou.

In both games, Barça won by the narrowest of margins and played much less attacking football than usual. It is clear that the absence of their top scorer reduced their attacking potential.

Xavi, therefore, will get his No.9 back a week before a match that is expected to be key to the outcome of LaLiga, the Barça-Real Madrid fixture on March 19 at Camp Nou.

Lewandowski, moreover, will arrive with the necessary rhythm for the duel after having played the match against Athletic. And this match is a red flag for the squad, aware that, by winning at San Mamés, they will be nine points ahead of the visit of Los Blancos, whatever happens in the match that Carlo Ancelotti's side have to play against Espanyol.

And that nine-point advantage, whatever happens in the clásico, would still be a very important difference in terms of winning LaLiga.

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