Top Barcelona Forward Dropped Ahead of Catalan Giant’s Final Champions League Match Against Viktoria Plzen

• Barcelona's final Champions League match of the season against Viktoria Plzen will not have Robert Lewandowski in the lineup
• Xavi has opted to rest the 34-year-old for this dead-rubber game, while the rest of the Barcelona squad travel to the Czech Republic
• Lewandowski, who is Barcelona’s top scorer this season, has scored a total of 18 goals in all competitions for the La Liga giants

Robert Lewandowski will play no part in Barcelona’s final Champions League game against Viktoria Plzen, with the Poland forward not included in the Catalans’ squad for the encounter.

Barcelona has travelled to the Czech Republic without the Poland forward, as the La Liga giants seek redemption after last week’s loss against Bayern Munich at Camp Nou.

According to 90MIN, the 34-year-old forward - who has 5 goals for Barcelona in this season’s campaign - has been rested by manager Xavi for the inconsequential encounter on Tuesday.

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Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia, Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen and Sergi Roberto have also been left in Spain for the game due to varying forms of injuries.

Barcelona failed to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League for the second consecutive season, after grabbing just 4 points in their first 5 group games. The Blaugrana lie 3rd in Group C behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.

Xavi opts for young players

Meanwhile, Barcelona has selected several young prospects to take on the club’s final Champions League game against Viktoria Plzen, Goal reports.

Xavi is expected to give chances to youth players such as Marc Casado, Alvaro Sanz and Pablo Torre, who are tipped to be unlikely starters for the Catalan giants.

Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati will be the players in contention to start up-front, while Gerard Pique and Marcos Alonso are tipped to start in defence for Barcelona.

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Lewandowski disappointed with UCL elimination

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Barcelona go into their last UEFA Champions League game with Viktoria Plzen, knowing that their future lies in the Europa League - no matter what happens.

While that is disappointing for any Blaugrana fan to think about, Lewandowski believes the best is yet to come for the team.

Speaking ahead of their upcoming tie, the Polish striker pleaded with fans to be patient as there was a rebuilding process taking place at the club.