Lewandowski ban upheld ahead of Barcelona's trip to Atletico Madrid

Barcelona, Jan 4, 2023 (AFP) - Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski's three-match ban was upheld by Spain's sports court on Wednesday and he will miss the visit to Atletico Madrid on Sunday in La Liga.

A club source told AFP that Barcelona would abide by the decision, having had the punishment suspended by another Madrid court last week, which allowed him to face Espanyol on Saturday.

Lewandowski was hit with a suspension after a red card against Osasuna in November before the World Cup break.

The decision to suspend his ban meant the Polish forward, La Liga's top goalscorer, could play in the Catalan derby on December 31, but he failed to score in the 1-1 draw.

Espanyol were angered by the court decision and their president and board refused to attend the match against Barcelona.

Lewandowski will now miss the league leaders' fixtures against Atletico, Getafe and Girona.

The former Bayern Munich striker had two additional matches added to his automatic one match suspension for dismissal against Osasuna, after making a gesture perceived as disrespectful towards the referee.