Robert Lewandowski out of El Clasico! Barcelona rocked by yet another blow as striker sidelined with hamstring injury

Lewandowski played the full 90 minutes for Poland in their latest 2026 World Cup qualifier against Lithuania. He was on target in that contest, taking his international goal tally to 87 through 161 appearances. He has told reporters of wanting to become a centurion on the goal front: "I'm only 13 goals away from 100. There are still a few games left this year, and next year too. I'm happy with every goal. We'll see what happens." The 37-year-old did, however, complain of experiencing discomfort after said outing for his country.

The experienced Pole returned to training in Catalunya on Tuesday at the Ciutat Esportiva. He was sent for medical tests after informing Barca of the issues regarding his left leg. It has been confirmed that Lewandowski will require a period of rest.

A statement on Barcelona’s official website read: “Robert Lewandowski has suffered a hamstring injury in his left thigh. He will be sidelined, and his recovery time will depend on how the injury progresses.

“The Polish striker has scored four goals in nine appearances so far in the 2025-26 season. His tally includes a brace against Valencia and goals against Oviedo and Real Sociedad. This season he has also scored two goals for Poland, the most recent coming during the October international break against Lithuania.”

It remains to be seen how long Lewandowski will be sidelined for, with the legendary No.9 having already lost his starting berth at Barca to Ferran Torres this season. A pessimistic update on his condition has been delivered by Mundo Deportivo.

They claim that Lewandowski is likely to be ruled out for between four and six weeks, with it never wise to rush recovery from hamstring injuries. It appears to be inevitable that the Poland international will sit out a Clasico trip to Santiago Bernabeu on October 26.

He will also miss a meeting with Girona on Saturday and a Champions League clash with Greek giants Olympiacos next week. If Lewandowski is ruled out through to the next international break, then matches with Elche, Club Brugge and Celta Vigo will also be watched from afar.

Lewandowski joins a growing list of walking wounded at Barcelona. They are already going to be without Joan Garcia, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi, and Dani Olmo for a meeting with old adversaries Madrid.

As things stand, on-loan Marcus Rashford, Torres - who returned early from international duty with Spain after picking up a knock - and teenager Roony Bardghji are the only senior attackers available to Blaugrana boss Hansi Flick for a clash with Catalan neighbours Girona.

Brazilian forward Raphinha is not yet training fully with the rest of the first-team squad, but 18-year-old wonderkid Lamine Yamal is said to be “training more normally” after resting during the latest international break and could be ready for a recall at the weekend. Fermin Lopez is also considered to be fit, but Dani Olmo is still two or three weeks away from a return.

Barcelona will want everybody back as soon as possible, with Real having returned to the top of the Liga table. They hold a two-point lead at the summit through eight fixtures, with injury troubles having stung Barca at the worst possible time.

Lewandowski, who hit 42 goals across all competitions last season, will hope that he is not out for long as his contract in Catalunya continues to run down. Amid talk of interest being shown in Bayern Munich’s England international striker Harry Kane, it could be that Lewandowski is allowed to hit free agency in the summer of 2026.