Julián Álvarez to face Barça amid 100-day goal drought | OneFootball

Julián Álvarez will face Barça with a 100-day scoring drought. The Atlético forward has not struck in La Liga since 1 November, and his last goal was on 9 December against PSV.

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, Barcelona have him on a shortlist as a possible replacement should Robert Lewandowski leave. This season he has 11 goals and five assists in 2406 minutes across 32 appearances.

Simeone has used him with Sorloth, Griezmann, Baena and Lookman, and in roles from lone striker to second forward. On Sunday against Betis he was replaced at half-time for only the second time since joining, the first came in his third match against Espanyol.

He has scored once in his past 15 outings. The run totals 820 minutes without finding the net, his longest since moving to Europe. Of his seven league goals, only one is from open play, six were penalties or free-kicks.

Only seven of his last 27 efforts have been on target, about 25 percent. Simeone believes a couple of fortunate games could shift the momentum and calls Álvarez their most important player. Captain Koke said the standards for elite players are high and responsibility is shared.

Álvarez is contracted until June 2030, and neither Mateo Alemany, Diego Pablo Simeone, the fans nor the player are contemplating an exit. Barcelona will provide the next examination, and as Simeone often says, each game leaves him one closer to the player they expect.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo