Barcelona striker, Robert Lewandowski, will miss Thursday’s Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against rivals Real Madrid after suffering a hamstring strain at the weekend.
Lewandowski picked up the problem in Barcelona’s 1-0 defeat to Almeria on Sunday and is expected to be sidelined for two weeks.
The Poland striker could sit out crucial league games against Valencia on March 5 and Athletic Bilbao on March 12, as well as this week’s cup Clasico at the Bernabeu.
“Lewandowski has a strain in his left hamstring,” said Barcelona in a statement, without specifying the length of his expected absence.
Barcelona face Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday in the first leg of the cup tie, already without injured duo Pedri and Ousmane Dembele.
Polish striker Lewandowski, 34, is the team’s top scorer with 25 goals across all competitions this season after joining from Bayern Munich last summer.
Spanish news outlet Relevo report Lewandowski is set to miss around two weeks and return before Barcelona face Real Madrid in LaLiga on March 19, although other outlets say he may heal quicker.
The second leg of the Copa del Rey clash does not take place until April 5, by when the Catalans expect all their injured players to have recovered.
Barcelona were eliminated from the Europa League by Manchester United last week and suffered a second consecutive defeat on Sunday, against Almeria in LaLiga, where it is suspected Lewandowski sustained his hamstring strain.
Xavi Hernandez’s side are seven points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table..
