Barcelona concerned about key forward’s fitness after his latest international appearance

WARSAW, POLAND - OCTOBER 12: Robert Lewandowski of Poland lies a knee on the pitch during the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League A Group A1 match between Poland and Portugal at PGE Narodowy on October 12, 2024 in Warsaw, Poland.

Photo by Rafal Oleksiewicz/Getty Images

With his appointment as the head coach of FC Barcelona, Hansi Flick has once again been able to bring out the best in Robert Lewandowski at the start of this 2024-25 season.

The Pole is an essential part of the Blaugrana attacking line, and is currently among the top scorers throughout Europe at the age of 36.

Meanwhile, he also continues to be a key part of the Polish national squad, and as Mundo Deportivo has reported, his appearance with his national team last night is leading to a lot of confusion and some significant concerns about his fitness.

The Barcelona striker did not start the match between Poland and Croatia, and the Poland national team coach, Michael Probierz, explained that he was suffering from a minor injury. However, he was still introduced into the game in the 62nd minute, as the Poles found themselves trailing the Croats.

The event that has caused the most concerns about his fitness occurred in the 75th minute, as the Croatian goalkeeper, Dominik Livakovic, caught Lewandowski’s right leg while trying to get to a ball outside of his area.

The Barcelona superstar got a kick to his shin and was in visible pain. However, he was ultimately able to finish the game and also contributed with an assist to Sebastian Szymanski, which led to the score being tied at 3-3. Lewandowski also came close to scoring a great goal himself.

For now, it remains to be seen in what condition he will return to Barcelona after such a night. The Catalans have a set of difficult matches awaiting them right after the end of this international break, including games against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, and Flick and the rest of his team will have their fingers crossed in hopes that Lewandowski is at his best when he returns to his club.