The battle for the Pichichi has erupted... and Barça's locker room has taken sides. Robert Lewandowski wants to snatch the top scorer trophy from Kylian Mbappé, and his teammates have rallied to make it happen.
At Camp Nou, they neither forget nor forgive the refereeing privileges surrounding the French forward from Real Madrid. In particular, his ease in inflating his numbers from the penalty spot.
Mbappé has 27 goals in the league, two more than Lewandowski. But there's a detail that stings in Barcelona: 7 of those goals have been penalties, compared to the Polish forward's 3.
That has upset them. A lot. At Barça, they believe Real Madrid and Mbappé are being favored in the fight for the Pichichi.
They have vowed to turn the situation around in the three remaining matches.
Lewandowski won't walk alone in the fight for the Pichichi
Lewandowski, meanwhile, is more motivated than ever. After a strong disagreement with Flick, who decided not to field him in the last matches, the Barça '9' has received total support from his teammates. According to El Nacional, the locker room has committed to "feed him" offensively, so he can have a spectacular end to the season and surpass the French star.
The first objective: Cornellà. Barça visits Espanyol with the mission of adding three points... and goals.
Lewandowski doesn't hide: he wants to score, he wants the Pichichi, and he wants to silence those who already considered him finished. And if that also serves to leave Mbappé without his first major individual title in Spain, even better.
In the Real Madrid camp, meanwhile, there is discontent. Mbappé's teammates are starting to get tired of everything revolving around the Frenchman, even in penalties. At Barça, they know it... and they are going to take advantage of it.
Refereeing favoritism toward Real Madrid with penalties
In Cornellà, fans will have the opportunity to see the level of solidarity that exists within Barça's squad. Lewandowski's Pichichi is everyone's business.
Real Madrid has been favored throughout the season with 13 penalties in their favor and 3 against. The figure contrasts with Barça's 6 in favor and 4 against. It's surprising because Barça is the team that enters the area the most (95 goals) compared to Real Madrid's 72.
They are willing to rebel against that injustice.