Bayern Munich face-up to Robert Lewandowski injury blow as Borussia Dortmund brace themselves for Erling Braut Haaland exit

Poland striker sidelined for four weeks due to knee injury, while Norwegian shotshot's representatives reported to have held talks with Barca and Real

Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich has scored 47 goals this season for his club and for Poland. Getty

Borussia Dortmund's Erling Braut Haaland has 39 goals for his club and Norway. EPA

Cristiano Ronaldo has netted 33 times for Juventus and Portugal. AFP

Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku has 32 goals for his club and Belgium. AFP

Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe has scored 31 times for club and France. Reuters

Tottenham's Harry Kane has scored 29 times for his club and England. PA

Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah has 27 goals for Liverpool. AFP

Barcelona's Lionel Messi has 24 goals for club and Argentina. Reuters

Sevilla forward Youssef En-Nesyri has 24 goals for his club and Morocco. AFP

Andre Silva has 23 goals playing for Eintracht Frankfurt and Portugal. Getty

Atletico Madrid's Luis Suarez has scored 23 times for his club and Uruguay. EPA

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes has scored 23 times for his club and Portugal. PA

Real Madrid's French forward Karim Benzema has 23 goals. AFP

Luis Muriel of Atalanta has 22 goals for club and Colombia. Getty

Wolfsburg's Dutch forward Wout Weghorst has 22 goals to his name. AFP

Villarreal's Spanish forward Gerard Moreno has scored 22 times playing for club and country. AP

Everton's England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored 21 goals. EPA

Lazio's Italian forward Ciro Immobile has scored 21 goals. Getty

Andrej Kramaric of Hoffenheim and Croatia has scored 20 goals. Getty

Manchester City's German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has 19 goals playing for club and country. Reuters

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean striker Son Heung-Min has scored 18 times. AFP

AC Milan's Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has 17 goals - and is now playing for Sweden again. AFP

Thomas Muller admits Robert Lewandowski's knee injury could not have come at a worse time for Bayern Munich ahead of Saturday's Bundesliga showdown at RB Leipzig and their Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain.

The Poland striker was sidelined for four weeks after damaging ligaments in his right knee last Sunday during their World Cup qualifying win over Androrra.

Bayern lead second-placed Leipzig by four points in their bid for a ninth straight Bundesliga title.

"Injury to Lewy is bitter news for us. It's the worst possible time," said Bayern forward Muller. "Well, others will have to step into the breach."

The statistics show Lewandowski's importance to Bayern. The 32-year-old has scored 35 goals in 26 league games this term to put him within range of Gerd Mueller's record of 40 goals in a single Bundesliga season.

Lewandowski will miss the Champions League first leg against PSG in Munich on Wednesday and the return game on April 13.

Should holders Bayern progress, Lewandowski would even face a race against time to be fit for the first leg of the semi-final against either Manchester City or Borussia Dortmund on April 28.

Against Leipzig, Bayern manager Hansi Flick is likely to start Germany winger Serge Gnabry as a solo striker, playing in front of Mueller.

Selecting Lewandowski's under-study Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting or moving Mueller forward are other options.

Bayern are also missing suspended defenders Alphonso Davies and Jerome Boateng, meaning Niklas Suele is likely to partner David Alaba at centre-back.

Leipzig expect a tough battle "even without Lewandowski", according to sporting director Markus Kroesche.

However, captain Marcel Sabitzer sees it as a chance for the hosts. "We have nothing to lose. The fact the pressure is not on us suits our team," said Sabitzer.

US midfielder Tyler Adams said Leipzig want to "give them [Bayern] a good fight".

Dortmund face Manchester City on Tuesday in their Champions League quarter-final first leg, but are in danger of missing out on next season's tournament.

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Gallery: Bayern 4 Stuttgart 0

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On Saturday, they host fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, who fifth-placed Dortmund trail by four points with eight games remaining.

"This is incredibly important for us," said Dortmund manager Edin Terzic. "It's a landmark game because we can narrow the gap."

Failure to qualify for the Champions League could see Dortmund lose the likes of Erling Braut Haaland and Jadon Sancho in the transfer window, and may also carry serious financial consequences.

Dortmund's finance director told local paper the Ruhr Nachrichten that the club lost € 43.5 million ($51m) in revenue in 2020. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the result could even be "significantly worse again" in 2021.

Haaland has scored 21 goals in as many league games this season, but is showing signs of frustration with his Dortmund team-mates.

He stormed off, clearly angry with another poor team performance, after his second goal rescued a 2-2 draw at Cologne 10 days ago.

According to media reports, the 20-year-old's father Alf-Inge Haaland and agent Mino Raiola met with Barcelona representatives on Thursday.

Man City and Real Madrid are also said to be interested in Haaland, who is under contract at Dortmund until 2024.

Any thoughts of the Norwegian hotshot moving to rivals Bayern have been shot down by the Bavarian's chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

"I don't know where the rumours have come from," he told Bild. "I can only say one thing: we have the world's best footballer in this position. Robert Lewandowski has a contract until 2023."

Elsewhere, third-placed Wolfsburg host relegation-threatened Cologne, while Union Berlin look to boost their European hopes in the capital-city derby against struggling rivals Hertha Berlin on Sunday.

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