“Lewandowski was spoiled at Bayern Munich”: Leon Goretzka on FC Barcelona’s drop to the Europa League

When Bayern Munich drew FC Barcelona and Inter Milan in the Champions League group stage earlier this season, club CEO Oliver Kahn cracked a wry smile. Did he know? He must have, right?

Robert Lewandowski left Bayern to find a new challenge elsewhere. Now he faces the biggest challenge of his career — trying to find relevance while playing in the Europa League. The Catalans have only a single win in their group so far, languishing in 3rd place with only two games left.

Barca aren’t quite doomed just yet. Inter Milan still need a win against Viktoria Plzen to guarantee their spot in the knockouts. However, given that the Nerazzurri get the early kickoff slot this Wednesday, the Catalans could find their game vs Bayern at the Camp Nou reduced to a dead rubber before kicking a ball.

Despite that, Leon Goretzka is looking forward to it. Speaking to Sky ahead of the midweek Champions League clash, the Bayern midfielder was honest with his assessment:

That’s not the quote you’re here for, though. When asked about Lewandowski potentially dropping into the Europa League, Goretzka pulled no punches.

“Lewy was very spoiled at Bayern, always progressing at least to the Round of 16,” said the #8. “But it is what it is — now we can no longer take that into consideration.”

If Inter fail to win against Plzen in the early game on Wednesday, you can be sure that Barcelona will come at Bayern with everything they’ve got. In a complicated qualification scenario, they NEED a win at the Camp Nou to keep any hope alive. Lewandowski himself will be itching for a goal against his former team, to dispel the myth that he can’t score in big games. Is that what it will come down to?

According to Goretzka, Bayern will be ready to meet them. We shall see.

If the Lewandowski talk interests you, then why not check out a recent episode of our podcast? We discussed whether he regrets leaving Bayern Munich and the effect on his legacy (sandwiched between a review of Freiburg and a preview of Augsburg). Listen to it below or on Spotify.

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