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Barcelona coach Xavi weighs up options to cover Lewandowski ban

Barcelona coach Xavi is weighing up how to cover the three-match suspension of Robert Lewandowski.

Normality is returning to Barcelona. The players are returning, with Ansu Fati and Eric Garcia coming back to training early. Most of the others will be back from Monday.

Those who reached the quarter-finals can have longer off - Memphis Depay, Frenkie De Jong and Raphinha will be back on Thursday.

Ousmane Dembele and Jules Kounde will be the last to arrive after reaching the World Cup final with France.

They should be back on Monday Dec 26, six days before the clash with Espanyol that kicks off the league season again.

Xavi is working out what to do without striker Lewandowski. Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres and Memphis Depay are his options up front, says Sport.

Ansu will have two weeks to convince the coach, while Ferran has been used as a false nine before. Memphis, arriving later, has less time.

Memphis played the most of the three at the World Cup, 300 minutes, but scored just one goal.

Ferran played 219 and scored twice.

Ansu did not score and only had 44 minutes in two games.

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