La Liga confirm length of Lewandowski and Cancelo bans ahead of El Clasico

La Liga have confirmed that both Robert Lewandowski & Joao Cancelo will only serve one-match bans for accumulating yellow cards and will therefore be eligible to face Real Madrid later this month.

The duo both picked up controversial yellow cards last time out against Las Palmas which took their respective tallies to five bookings for the season, earning each of them an automatic one-game suspension.

Lewandowski and Cancelo were both accused of intentionally getting themselves cautioned to remove the threat of suspension for the game against Real Madrid which follows next weekend's trip to Cadiz. La Liga's disciplinary rules state that any player found to have done so will see their suspension doubled.

However, league officials have now decided that there was insufficient evidence to punish either Lewandowski and Cancelo, both of whom have now been handed one-match bans.

The two players will therefore be unable to face Cadiz but are now free to take to the pitch against Real Madrid on April 21.

Lewandowski was booked for taking too long to leave the pitch for a late substitution, before Cancelo picked up a yellow for a cynical trip in the dying embers of the game.

La Liga officials decided these incidents were not as malicious as the precedent set by Valencia midfielder Hugo Guillamon who, in January 2021, was found to have been urged by manager Javi Gracia to pick up an intentional booking to seal a suspension.

Barcelona will also be without centre-back Inigo Martinez for the trip to Cadiz after the defender picked up his own yellow card against Las Palmas. There were never any doubts about the intentions behind this caution.

With one round of fixtures to play before the two sides meet, Real Madrid find themselves top of La Liga, eight points clear of second-placed Barcelona.

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