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Barcelona were unsuccessful in overtuning striker Robert Lewandowski's three-game ban after the Tribunal Administrativo del Deporte (TAD) rejected their appeal.
The Polish international is now set to miss the La Liga games against Espanyol, Atletico Madrid and Getafe. Lewandowski was sent off in the first half of their 2-1 win over Osasuna in November, for which he was set to serve a one-match ban. However, Lewandowski was suspended for two additional games for his gestures towards the referee.
Barcelona appealed the sentence with the Appeal Committee of the Federation, saying that the striker showed no disrespect towards the official.
However, on December 5, the committee kept the sanction in place, prompting the club to lodge a fresh appeal to the TAD, the Administrative Court of Sport, but that was rejected as well on Friday.
Now, the Blaugrana will have to make do without their talismanic striker, who has made a big impact since arriving from Bayern Munich in the summer. In 19 appearances, Lewandowski has scored 18 times, including 13 in 14 league games, hitting the ground running at his new club.
Without the 34-year-old leading the charge, Barcelona will have their task cut out, but it opens up an opportunity for Memphis Depay to lead the line.
The Dutchman's appearances have been severely limited this season since Lewandowski's arrival.
Depay has been on the bench for their opening four league games, but a thigh problem derailed his campaign further. However, Depay recovered in time to feature for Netherlands at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he scored in the Round of 16 win over USA.
Spanish duo Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres are available for Xavi in attack.
Barcelona resume bid for first La Liga title in four years
With the 2022 FIFA World Cup now over, club football has started resuming across Europe. In Spain, La Liga will reconvene on Thursday (December 29), but Barcelona will play two days later.
The Blaugrana will host Espanyol at the Camp Nou in the Catalan derby. They will look to keep daylight between them and arch-rivals Real Madrid, who are two points adrift of them in second.
Xavi has had a profound impact at the club since arriving in November last year, losing only five times in 39 league games. He's looking to guide the club to their first La Liga title since the 2018-19 season.
