Lewandowski can pull away from Mbappe in Pichichi race and achieve best streak of season vs Vallecano | OneFootball

Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski remains at the top of the La Liga goalscoring charts for another matchday.

However, as he prepares to face Rayo Vallecano today, the race for the Pichichi Trophy is heating up, with Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe closing the gap.

The French forward found the back of the net in Real Madrid’s 1-1 draw against Osasuna, bringing his league tally to 17 goals. This puts him just two goals behind Lewandowski, who currently leads with 19 strikes to his name.

Chance to extend the tally

Barcelona’s clash against Rayo Vallecano presents Lewandowski with a chance to extend his lead. If he manages to find the net in this fixture, he will not only create some breathing room between himself and Mbappe but also continue an impressive goalscoring streak.

Lewandowski has been in fine form in recent weeks, with goals coming in his last three league matches against Valencia, Alaves, and Sevilla. Another goal against Rayo would see Lewandowski achieve his best consecutive scoring run of the current campaign.

Robert Lewandowski has scored 19 goals already this season. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The Polish striker has already had a similar hot streak earlier in the season.

Back in October 2024, he scored in three straight games, netting a hat-trick against Alaves in a 3-0 win, a brace in a 5-1 victory over Sevilla, and another two goals in Barcelona’s emphatic 4-0 triumph against Real Madrid.

That run saw him score a remarkable seven goals in just three matches, though he was unable to extend it to a fourth game.

Now, he has once again found the net in three consecutive fixtures, this time scoring one goal per game, and will be looking to push further against Rayo.

Since his arrival at Barcelona, Lewandowski has already claimed the Pichichi Trophy once, finishing as La Liga’s top scorer during the 2022/23 season when Barcelona lifted the league title.

That year, he scored 23 league goals to secure the award. With 19 goals in just 22 matches so far this season, he is on course to surpass that total, reinforcing his status as one of the most lethal strikers in European football.