WATCH: Lewandowski Sends Out Strong Message Before Barcelona Return

Getty Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring for Barca.

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski looks to be in great shape and raring to go ahead of his return to the Camp Nou following his exploits at the World Cup with Poland.

Lewandowski has posted an update on Instagram, showing he’s still working hard despite having been granted some time off after his appearances at the competition in Qatar.

The striker made four appearances at the World Cup, scoring two goals and picking up an assist for Poland. Lewandowski’s side made it out of the group stages and into the last 16 of the competition before being knocked out by defending champions France.

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When Will Lewandowski Return?

Barcelona’s players who have been involved in the World Cup have been given some time off to rest before the return of La Liga at the end of the month. The Catalans return to action on December 31 against local rivals Espanyol.

Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and defender Andreas Christensen are expected to be the first players to return, while Lewandowski should be back at the club to restart training on December 14, according to Javi Miguel at Diario AS.

Spain’s eight Barcelona players are then due back by the end of the week and will be followed by Brazil forward Raphinha and Dutch duo Memphis Depay, and Frenkie de Jong. French pair Jules Kounde and Ousmane Dembele remain in Qatar and will face Morocco in the semi-finals.

Xavi is not expected to have his whole squad back and working together until December 26, giving the boss precious little time to work with all of his players before the game against Espanyol.

Lewandowski To Miss Three Games

Yet Lewandowski will not be able to feature against Espanyol or in Barca’s following two matches after being hit with a three-game ban. The striker has already hit out at the decision, while president Joan Laporta has admitted the club are upset by the severity of the sanction.

Xavi will therefore have to reshuffle his attack for the derby against Espanyol and will not want to lose momentum after guiding his team to the top of the table in Spain, two points ahead of Real Madrid, before the World Cup.

The Barcelona boss does have plenty of options in attack, including Ansu Fati who has made it clear he is desperate for more game time at the Camp Nou after returning to full fitness and is not happy with his recent bench role.

Fati seems to have put his injury problems behind him but has yet to rediscover his very best form. Lewandowski’s ban does offer him the chance to stake a claim but he’ll be aware he has very big boots to fill.

The summer signing from Bayern Munich is the top scorer in La Liga this season with 13 goals from 14 games, putting him already five ahead of his nearest rivals, Real Betis attacker Borja Iglesias and Real Mallorca’s Vedat Muriqi.

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