Barcelona will have leading goalscorer Robert Lewandowski available for Saturday's clash with Espanyol.

The Poland international was expected to miss out for the Catalan outfit, having been handed a three-game suspension following his red card against Osasuna before the break for the World Cup.

Lewandowski was set to miss the La Liga matches against Espanyol and Atletico Madrid, in addition to the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup against Real Betis.

However, Barcelona revealed in a statement on Friday that they had been successful in placing a temporary hold on his ban while the club continue to appeal the ruling.

The 34-year-old will still receive a three-game suspension unless the final decision goes in Barcelona's favour, but he will be available while the full process is undertaken.

"Robert Lewandowski will be allowed to play against Espanyol tomorrow after the Central Contentious Court of Madrid granted a preliminary injunction to the sanction imposed by the CAS," read a statement from Barcelona.

Barcelona boss Xavi was asked for his views on the situation during his press conference ahead of the league contest with Espanyol, which will represent the team's first game after the World Cup.

"We found out when the training session was over. We prepared for the game with the idea that we couldn't count on him," the head coach told reporters.

"It's not the best timing but we are very happy that he can play. He was also surprised by the timing.

"For me it is a disproportionate sanction. Now the referees' committee has two to three days. It would be good to know how the sanction will be, when we won't be able to count on him. It should have been known before.

"We have been training differently these weeks, thinking that we were not counting on him. The organisation has not been good. I don't know if we can count on him against Atletico."

Lewandowski has been in impressive form for Barcelona during the 2022-23 campaign, scoring 18 goals and registering four assists in 19 appearances in all competitions.

The Catalan outfit will have a full squad for Saturday's game, as Ronald Araujo, Sergi Roberto and Franck Kessie have all overcome the issues that kept them out before the World Cup.

Barcelona are currently top of La Liga, two points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid. body check tags ::