Robert Lewandowski has suggested that he is on course to return from an ankle injury in Barcelona's La Liga clash with Real Madrid at the end of the month.
The Poland international has been sidelined since suffering the problem during the Champions League game with Porto on October 4.
Lewandowski subsequently missed out against Granada in La Liga last weekend, and it had initially been thought that he could be out of action until the middle of November.
However, the 35-year-old appears to have made strong progress in his recovery, with various reports over the last few days claiming that he is on course to return for El Clasico on October 28.
Lewandowski has now provided an update on his recovery but has insisted that he will not return to the field unless he has 100% recovered from the issue.
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"From Wednesday to Friday I rested. I have been working and rehabilitating since Friday. I take care of my leg, 7-10 days. This is the most important time for the ankle to rest," he told WP Sportowe Fakty.
"More will be said next week, but it looks better than many people thought. There is no return date. It all depends on how the leg reacts. If I'm not fit, I won't force myself to play."
Lewandowski has been in strong form for Barcelona during the 2023-24 campaign, scoring six goals and registering four assists in 10 appearances in all competitions.
The Catalan outfit's head coach Xavi said before the Granada clash last time out that the loss of the team's "reference point in attack" was a big blow.
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"Robert's loss hurts. He is our goal scorer, our reference point in attack, and also a leader. Ferran [Torres] and Joao [Felix] can play there but we also brought Pau Victor from the B side. We have several options that can adapt to his role," the manager told reporters.
"Robert is a differential for us, he transmits fear to our rivals. We will try to make his replacement do that too. It will be difficult to replace a world class player like Lewandowski."
Barcelona are also hopeful that Pedri will be back from a thigh problem for the clash with Barcelona, while Alejandro Balde also has a strong chance of recovering from an adductor issue before El Clasico.
Lamine Yamal and Raphinha could also potentially be back, but Jules Kounde and Frenkie de Jong are set to be absent for the game with Carlo Ancelotti's side.
Barcelona will return to La Liga action against Athletic Bilbao next Sunday before welcoming Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League ahead of the Real Madrid fixture.
Matt Law
