Ronald Araujo will headline Barcelona’s squad traveling to Saudi Arabia for the 2026 Spanish Super Cup, after a long absence “for psychological reasons.”
Since receiving a red card in the Champions League match against Chelsea, Araujo has been absent from Barcelona, suffering psychologically from the incident, before finally returning to training at the start of this year.
The Uruguayan defender missed the recent match against Espanyol, in which the Catalan giants secured a valuable 2-0 victory in the 18th round of La Liga.
Hansi Flick has announced his Super Cup squad, and the 26-year-old center-back finally returns after an absence of nearly two months, providing the German coach with an option and increasing the number of defenders in the Blaugrana squad as they hope to retain the coveted title.
Araujo is not generally expected to feature in the starting lineup after his extended absence, but his presence in the Super Cup will be the first step on his road to recovery, with the hope that he will regain his usual form before the 2026 World Cup.
Barcelona’s Super Cup squad has only one notable absence: the injured Xavi, who will not return until February. Otherwise, the Barça squad is at full strength, led by the goalkeeping trio of Juan García, Ter Stegen, and Szczęsny.
Barcelona will face Athletic Bilbao on January 7 in Jeddah in the semi-final. If they win, they will face the winner of the Atlético Madrid vs. Real Madrid match in the final.
