Hansi Flick left Robert Lewandowski out of Barcelona’s starting XI for fc barcelona – real madryt on Sunday at 21:00. Barcelona went into the match with a chance to seal the Spanish championship by taking at least one point against Real Madrid at Camp Nou.
Flick’s selection call
Flick chose the eleven players to start and did not include Lewandowski on the list. That was the clearest change in the build-up to one of the biggest matches of Barcelona’s season, with the title still within reach before kickoff.
The Barcelona coach had already set the tone before the game. At a press conference, he said: “Gramy u siebie, mamy fantastyczną drużynę, mnóstwo jakości, dodatkowo kibice nas wspierają, co jest świetne”.
Lewandowski and the Clasico
Spanish media had mostly indicated that Lewandowski would be involved, which made his omission from the starting lineup stand out even more. The decision left Barcelona to face Real Madrid without one of its main forwards from the opening whistle.
The timing mattered because the match itself carried the possibility of delivering the Spanish championship on Sunday. With one point enough to secure the title, the lineup choice put the spotlight on how Flick intended to manage Barcelona’s attack in front of the Camp Nou crowd.
Barcelona’s title chance
If Barcelona earned at least one point, it could celebrate the Spanish championship on Sunday. That made every selection detail part of the result, including the absence of Lewandowski from the first eleven. The forward’s future at FC Barcelona was also noted as uncertain, and the report said that if he left the club, he would never again play in a Spanish Clasico.
For readers tracking the match, the immediate answer was simple: Lewandowski was not in the starting lineup, Flick had already made the call, and Barcelona’s title path now ran through a home Clasico against Real Madrid at 21:00.
