Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Why is Robert Lewandowski not Starting Today in El Clasico? Will he come on as Substitute?

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Barcelona and Real Madrid are set to lock horns in a monumental La Liga encounter today (May 11) as the balance of the Spanish league hinges on this El Clasico.

The two teams are separated by just 4 points as Los Cules lead their Madrid counterpart in the points table. As Barcelona will be looking to extend the lead and put daylight in between them, Real Madrid's sole objective will be to win and get the difference to just a point.

But ahead of the match, Barcelona have decided to play without starting Robert Lewandowski for the huge clash. The Poland striker is on the bench for today's match, which has sparked interest and doubt among the fans.

Why is Robert Lewandowski not Starting Today?

Robert Lewandowski hasn't started for FC Barcelona in the recent El Clásico against Real Madrid due to his ongoing recovery from a hamstring injury sustained on April 19, 2025, during a match against Celta Vigo.

Although he made a brief appearance as a substitute in the Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan, head coach Hansi Flick determined that Lewandowski was not yet fit to start such a high-intensity match.

Flick emphasized the importance of managing player fitness, especially with three crucial league matches remaining after the Clásico. He stated that while Lewandowski, along with Alejandro Balde and Marc Casadó, had been declared fit, they would begin the match on the bench to avoid risking further injury.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Will Lewandowski come on as a Substitute?

In Lewandowski's absence, Flick opted to retain the attacking trio of Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, and Raphinha, who had performed commendably in the Champions League fixture against Inter Milan. This decision reflects Flick's confidence in the current lineup's form and cohesion.

For the Poland international, he may get a nod from the manager to come on as a sub if it is required for the Blaugranas.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona Lineups

Real Madrid Starting XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Raul Asencio, Fran Garcia; Federico Valverde, Dani Ceballos; Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr; Kylian Mbappe

Bench: Lunin, Mestre, Vallejo, Ramon, Enriquez, Modric, Diaz, Endrick, Rodrygo, Munez

Barcelona Starting XI: Szczesny; Eric Garcia, Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Gerard Martin; Frenkie de Jong, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha; Ferran Torres

Bench: Pena, ter Stegen, Balde, Christensen, Fort, Ronald Araujo, Lopez, Gavi, Casado, Ansu Fati, Pau Victor, Robert Lewandowski