Barcelona coach Hansi Flick confirmed that Ronald Araujo will miss the Catalan club’s La Liga match against Alavés on Saturday.
Araujo received a disastrous red card in the first half of Barcelona’s Champions League match against Chelsea, a major factor in the Catalan club’s 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
The Uruguayan international was unable to participate in Barça’s training session on Thursday and was also absent from training on Friday, raising many questions about his absence.
In the pre-match press conference before the Alavés game, Flick revealed that Araujo is suffering from stomach pains and the medical staff preferred to rest him and keep him out of Saturday’s match.
The German coach added, “The defeat against Chelsea was tough, but we have to move on and remain optimistic.”
Fermin López will also miss the Alavés match due to injury. Flick commented, “That’s football; these things happen. Sometimes it’s related to the new boots. Sancet’s tackle affected him a bit, but he only felt pain after the match.”
Flick also confirmed that Pedri will return for the Alavés game after a month and a half absence due to injury, indicating that he will come on as a substitute for a few minutes.
Barcelona currently sits second in the La Liga standings, just one point behind league leaders Real Madrid.
