Xavi: We were preparing for Espanyol without Lewandowski
The coach admitted his surprise at the late decision to let him play
Barcelona got the news on Friday that Robert Lewandowski would be available to play.
The Polish striker was sent off against Osasuna and in theory was banned to face Espanyol after the sports court rejected an appeal. However a contentious decisions court in Madrid suspended the ban.
“We found out after training had finished, we were preparing for the game thinking that we could not call on him,” said Xavi on Friday.
“It’s not the best timing, but we are happy that he can play. He was also surprised by the timing. For me it’s a disproportionate ban.”
The coach continued: “Now the committee of referees has between two and three days. It would be good to know how long the sanction is, when we won't be able to count on him. It should have been known before. These weeks we have trained differently thinking that we did not have him. The organisation is not being good. I don't know if we can count on him against Atletico".
