Robert Lewandowski will miss Barcelona’s next three games after the Central Madrid Court upheld his suspension today.
The Polish forward had been given an extra two-game ban on top of the standard one, following his red card against Osasuna. His gesture of disregard towards the referee earned him that ban, but Barcelona appealed the matter first to the RFEF, then the Court of Arbitration for Sports, and finally a public court in Madrid.
That led to the controversial suspension of his ban against Espanyol, which Los Pericos have made a formal complaint about in the hope they will be awarded all three points.
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez had told the press on Tuesday that he thought that his star striker Lewandowski would be available for their crunch match against Atletico Madrid on Sunday night.
That will not be the case though, after the Court today ratified the suspension. Barcelona could appeal the decision, but as per Diario AS, the Blaugrana will not attempt to dispute it.
The result is that Barcelona will be without Lewandowski for their trip to the Civitas Metropolitano, a home tie against Getafe, and a short trip north to face Girona at Montilivi.
The suspension could be highly costly for Barcelona, who are level on points at the top of La Liga with rivals Real Madrid. As shown against Espanyol, the Blaugrana are not in rhythm after the World Cup and the Atletico match stands out as a potential banana skin.
