Barcelona will face 2021 champions Atletico Madrid on Sunday, January 8, in one of many hardest matches of the La Liga season. However they must make this journey with out being high scorer.

Robert Lewandowski must sit down within the huge recreation as his staff waits for a chance to develop their lead forward of rivals Actual Madrid. Los Merengues played on Saturday and lost to Villarreal.It offers Barcelona an opportunity to place some daylight between the 2 giants.

However there aren’t many locations in Spain which can be harder to play than Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid. Atletico, however, grew to become one of many hardest defensive groups within the league with 14 targets conceded in 15 video games. Solely three groups have a greater report (one among them is Barcelona).

Subsequently, lacking Lewandowski, who can be the highest scorer in all of La Liga, is just not a super state of affairs for Blaugrana, who’s making an attempt to win his first league title since 2019 this season.

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Why is not Robert Lewandowski taking part in towards Atletico Madrid?

Lewandowski needed to play within the necessary match towards Atletico Madrid on 8 November as a result of penalty he acquired as a result of purple card he acquired within the thirty first minute of Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Osasuna, and his subsequent motion.

Barcelona tried to enchantment the penalty to the Royal Spanish Soccer Federation (RFEF) after which to the Spanish Administrative Courtroom of Sport (TAD). The membership finally resorted to the general public courtroom system, particularly the Central Courtroom in Madrid.

This Central Courtroom momentarily lifted the three-game suspension because the enchantment course of unfolded, permitting Lewandowski to play within the December 31 league derby match towards Espanyol.

Nonetheless, struggling towards relegation to the second division, Espanyol now claims that Lewandowski shouldn’t have performed in that match and that Barcelona performed an basically ineligible participant within the 1-1 draw.

The three-game suspension was finally re-examined by the Spanish Administrative Courtroom of Sport (TAD) and upheld its determination on enchantment on 4 January.

Given the timing of the ultimate determination in response to the enchantment, the three-game suspension will take impact from the subsequent La Liga recreation towards Atletico Madrid on 8 January.

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Why was Robert Lewandowski suspended for 3 video games?

Lewandowski’s Thirtieth-minute purple card at Osasuna on 8 November was the product of two yellow playing cards that might usually set off a one-game suspension.

Nonetheless, Lewandowski made a gesture in direction of the match officers as he left the sector.

The striker raised a finger to his nostril, which was famous within the match report by referee Jesus Gil Manzano, leading to a two-game suspension together with a one-game ban, for a “present of disrespect” acquired by the RFEF. for the purple card

On enchantment, Lewandowski tried to argue that the gesture was directed at his coach and never the referee, however officers denied it.

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What video games will Lewandowski miss?

The three-game suspension could solely be awarded in that match, because it outcomes from Lewandowski’s actions in a La Liga match.

The subsequent three La Liga video games will begin with a go to to Atletico Madrid and can embrace a house match towards Getafe and a tour to Girona.

When is Robert Lewandowski returning to the sport?

Barcelona followers will not have to attend lengthy to get their star again on the sector.

It is because Blaugrana will journey to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to compete for the Supercopa de Espana (Spanish Tremendous Cup). And since this A separate competitors from La Liga, Lewandowski’s sentence is not going to proceed The identical is true for King’s Cup matches.

Barcelona will face Actual Betis within the semi-finals on Thursday, January 12, and in the event that they win this match, they’ll play within the last towards Actual Madrid or Valencia on Sunday, January 15.

The Supercopa de Espana is an annual competitors that pits the 2 greatest groups in La Liga towards the 2 Copa del Rey finalists within the first cup of the Spanish membership season.

After the Supercopa ends, he might want to play two extra La Liga video games earlier than making his comeback towards Actual Betis on February 1.

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Robert Lewandowski Barcelona targets 2022/23

Lewandowski will hope to return for the February recreation. A lead at the top of the La Liga Golden Shoe race.

He presently has 13 targets in La Liga, 4 higher than Joselu from Espanyol, and 5 higher than a foursome who hopes to go far within the coming weeks.

Since arriving on a €45m (£40m) summer season switch from Bayern Munich, Lewandowski has had 18 targets to guide Barcelona in all competitions, together with 13 targets in Spanish league-top La Liga.

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Lewandowski’s targets 2022/23

As of Sunday, January 8, 2023