With the game against Porto ending in victory for Barcelona, the Blaugranes now top Group H. For the first time in quite a while, the Catalans look like actual favorites in their group. However, the victory did not come without a cost.
The Barcelona players already struggled and suffered a lot in the Estadio de Dragao. While some had abysmal performances and others have made great efforts to keep Barcelona floating, there is one particular star who arguably took the hardest blow.
Polish striker Robert Lewandowski left the field as arguably the harshest recipient of the game’s effects. Injured early on even before the half-time whistle, the 35-year-old was replaced by Ferran Torres. Needing treatment on his ankle right away, Lewandowski seemed to be in quite some discomfort.
Now, as Spanish outlet SPORT addresses, Xavi will need to look at alternatives. With the game against Granada already guaranteed to not feature the Polish forward, Barcelona will have to make do without him. Several names in the Catalan squad could make a stand, but some seem much more likely than others.
Ferran Torres
The primary protagonist to replace Lewandowski in the starting XI would be Ferran Torres. The 23-year-old Spaniard was the one to take over Lewandowski’s place during the Porto game and managed to not only perform well but also score a crucial goal that gave Barcelona all three points.
Against Granada, it seems most likely that it will be Ferran Torres who is deployed as the central striker. However, given the versatility of the Barcelona players, Xavi also has other options he could turn towards.
Joao Felix
Another choice could be to place Joao Felix as the team’s number nine. He could maybe act as more of a shadow striker or potentially even be deployed as a false nine. This would allow both Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres to excel on the wings with Felix’s creativity.
Cancelo and Lopez as wingers
There also exists the option of potentially deploying Fermin Lopez and Joao Cancelo as possible wingers. Cancelo has the right skillset to do so while Lopez was the one to take over from Felix in the clash against FC Porto.
