Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is set to miss as many as four weeks of action after partially fracturing his tibia near his left knee joint, the club confirmed on Thursday.
The Polish striker, who scored his side’s third goal against Chelsea in a 3-0 win in the first leg of the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, will not only miss the games against Hoffenheim, Schalke, Augsburg and Union Berlin, but will also be on the sidelines when his side welcomes Chelsea in the return leg of the Champions League at home on March 18.
It is said that the striker picked up the knock during the first leg, but carried on with the injury. He was later examined by Bayern’s chief medical officer on Wednesday.
Lewandowski got injured at the 36th minute of last night's game, played through injury for the rest of the game scoring one goal and assisting two [Bild] pic.twitter.com/bpQExFT1st
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) February 26, 2020
“After 10 days of immobilisation in a cast, he will start rehab. The striker will be out for around four weeks,” Bayern said in an official statement.
Lewandowski has been an instrumental figure for Bayern this season, scoring as many as 39 goals in 33 games in all competitions. His performance, especially against Chelsea, was breathtaking, to say the least, as he assisted both of Serge Gnabry’s goals and scored one himself.
Thank you for all your kind words of support🙏 Keep your fingers crossed. I'll be back soon and I'll be ready to fight 🤜🤛
— Robert Lewandowski (@lewy_official) February 26, 2020
Bayern, who lead RB Leipzig by just one point after 23 games in Bundesliga, face Hoffenheim on Saturday followed by an away game against Schalke in the DFB Cup quarter-final on Wednesday.
A lead as narrow as this means Bayern are certain to miss their frontman, but in his absence, manager Hansi Flick is expected to make a few tweaks here and there. As things stand, Thomas Muller, who hit the crossbar in the first half against Chelsea, remains a natural successor, but a certain 20-year-old Jann-Fiete Arp might get in the squad as well.
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Feature image courtesy: AFP / Guenter Schiffmann
