Barcelona’s plan for Osasuna clash could see Lewandowski dropped for 25-year-old star | OneFootball

In a recent turn of events, it has come to light through Mundo Deportivo that Barcelona could see Ferran Torres leading the attack against Osasuna as Robert Lewandowski faces a tight turnaround following the international break.

It has come to light that the Polish striker will only have around 72 hours to recover before the rescheduled fixture against Osasuna.

His final international match will be against Malta on Monday, March 24, marking the end of his national team commitments before returning to club duties.

Adding to the concern, Lewandowski picked up a minor calf issue in Poland’s first match of the break. The Polish camp has played down its significance, expecting him to be available for the next fixture.

However, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick may still consider resting him to avoid aggravating the problem.

Flick’s trust in Torres

It is said that the Barcelona manager does not seem overly worried about Lewandowski’s situation, largely because he has a reliable alternative in Torres.

Ferran Torres is expected to start against Osasuna. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Despite experiencing some minor discomfort before Spain’s first game against the Netherlands, Torres has remained with the national team.

He was left out of the first match in Rotterdam as a precaution but is expected to be available for the next one.

Interestingly, this would not be the first time Flick has opted for Torres as a ‘false 9’ in Lewandowski’s absence.

Scheduled to start

In the previously scheduled match against Osasuna on March 8—postponed due to the passing of Dr. Carles Minarro—the German coach had already planned to deploy the Spanish forward in that role.

At that time, Lewandowski was dealing with some discomfort following a Champions League clash against Benfica, and Flick had decided to leave him out of the starting lineup.

Given the similar circumstances now, the Barcelona coach may well make the same decision again, with Torres stepping up to lead the line against Osasuna.