FC Barcelona suffer massive injury blow ahead of El Clasico

FC Barcelona are in danger of seeing their season unravel if they are not careful in the next couple of weeks. They have already endured back-to-back losses in the past few days, and now they might have to face bitter rivals Real Madrid without star forward Robert Lewandowski.

The Poland captain suffered a muscle injury in last Sunday's loss against Almeria in La Liga. The defeat was a missed opportunity for the Blaugrana to extend their lead over Real Madrid at the top of the league table to ten points. Not, they have a seven-point advantage but the squad is showing clear signs of fatigue.

On Monday, the club confirmed Lewandowski's injury after the player underwent a medical assessment. However, the medical team could not project his return date. Needless to say, with the Copa del Rey semi-final match against Real Madrid taking place on Thursday, he will likely be unavailable.

Similar injuries typically keep players out for around two weeks, meaning that apart from El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu in midweek, Lewandowski is also expected to miss crucial La Liga encounters against Valencia and Athletic Club.

He may be able to return in time for the La Liga clash against Los Blancos on March 19. Depending on the results for both teams in the upcoming two weeks, this El Clasico may play a big part in determining the eventual league champions.

The mood in the Barcelona dressing room is not the best after the team crashed out of the Europa League at the hands of Manchester United last week. They followed that up with the league loss against Almeria, and now their injury concerns are piling up.

Apart from Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele and Pedri have already been sidelined. Furthermore, Xavi and Gavi are both suspended for the clash against Valencia this weekend. The manager picked up his fifth yellow card after protesting a decision during the game against Almeria, while Gavi also picked up his fifth yellow card of the season on the same night.

Real Madrid are hot on their heels in La Liga, despite dropping points on Saturday in their draw against Atletico Madrid. However, Barcelona's loss the next day kept them within striking distance of the reigning champions. Xavi will need to keep his squad in full attack mode if they wish to hold off a late charge from Carlo Ancelotti's men.