Xavi Hernandez could be breathing quite a sigh of relief. While Barcelona were able to secure a 1-0 victory over Porto in Champions League play on Wednesday,, star striker Robert Lewandowski was replaced by Ferran Torres only 34 mintues into the match after taking a knock to his ankle.
Torres put in a good shift scoring the winner and taking three shots after coming on but with Raphinha injured and Gavi now suspended for the next round, more hits to the attack aren’t what Xavi could take as Barca looks to qualify with ease to the knockout stage.
Lewandowski did leave the pitch under his own power and Xavi stated that Lewandowski took a blow to the ankle but could be fit in order to face Granada during the weekend.
That’s by far the best case scenario for Barca to ensure that they can keep pace with Real Madrid in La Liga while also fending off Girona’s surprising start.
Lewandowski has six goals and four assists in all competitions so far this season as the focal point of Barcelona’s attack as he’s showing no signs of slowing down at 35 years of age.
Combine his impressive strike rate with Barcelona’s strong defense and it makes sense why they’re never out of a game.
Along with Raphinha, Pedri and Frenkie De Jong also missed the match due to injuries but the additions of Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo on transfer deadline day have meant that there is plenty of depth to cope with things of this nature.