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Barcelona fans are less than thrilled to see Robert Lewandowski starting in their Supercopa de Espana semi-final against Osasuna tonight (January 11).
Lewandowski hasn't enjoyed the best of seasons by his high standards. The prolific Polish frontman has bagged 10 goals and five assists in 23 games across competitions.
The 35-year-old came in for criticism for his performance in Barcelona's 1-0 win against Atletico Madrid in La Liga in December. He will be looking to put on a show against Osasuna at Al-Awwal Stadium in Saudi Arabia tonight.
Lewandowski ended a run of four games without a goal in Barca's 3-2 win against Spanish minnows Barbastro in the Copa del Rey (January 7). He came off the bench and tucked away an 88th-minute penalty.
The winners of tonight's meeting will face Real Madrid in the final and Xavi has gone strong as he tries to win the competition for the second consecutive season.
Inaki Pena starts in goal, with Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, and Alejandro Balde in defense. Sergio Roberto is partnered with Frenkie de Jong and Ilkay Gundogan in midfield. Lewandowski starts up top alongside Raphinha and Ferran Torres.
But, fans aren't too happy seeing the former Bayern Munich striker among Xavi's starting lineup. Some argue that Barcelona's January signing Vitor Roque should be handed a start.
One fan thinks the Blaugrana deserve to lose by starting the legendary striker:
"Starting Lewandowski we deserve to lose."
Another fan reckons Xavi deserves the sack:
"With this lineup again am convinced that Xavi has to go."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Xavi's decision to start the Pole:
Barcelona could reportedly replace Robert Lewandowski with AZ Alkmaar's Vangelis Pavlidis
Lewandowski has just over two years left on his contract with Barcelona but speculation has been growing over his future. He arrived at Camp Nou from Bayern in July 2022 for €45 million. His likely destination appears to be Saudi Arabia if he does leave.
The Evening Standard (via Football Espana) reports that Barca could look to replace Lewandowski with AZ Alkmaar frontman Vangelis Pavlidis. The Greek forward is flourishing in the Eredivisie, with 18 goals in 16 games.
Pavlidis has also been garnering interest from the Premier League, with Chelsea and Fulham showing an interest. Serie A side AC Milan are also monitoring him and it appears a big move is in his future.
The 25-year-old has just over a year left on his contract with AZ. He's valued by Transfermarkt at €25 million.
