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Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has returned to group training ahead of the UEFA Champions League clash against Royal Antwerp, reports Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo.
The defender is currently in the final stretch of his recovery and had done some sessions with the squad on Sunday.
As Barcelona prpare to make their UEFA Champions League debut at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, the Uruguayan was spotted training with the rest of the team in the final training session before the match.
At the moment, Xavi’s press conference will be crucial to see what happens with Araujo and if he will be available for the home game against Royal Antwerp.
Furthermore, the manager will also reveal if the defender has, in fact, received the green signal from the medical department yet.
What happened to Araujo?
In August, Barcelona confirmed that Araujo is set to be unavailable for around a month after suffering a leg injury.
“Ronald Araujo has injured his left femoral biceps. He is out and the evolution of his condition will determine his availability,” read the official statement from the club.
Araujo had been forced to be taken off just 30 minutes into the Blaugrana’s Joan Gamper Trophy match against Tottenham Hotspur.
But he recovered well and started as a right-back in Barcelona’s first league game of the 2023/24 season against Getafe.
Close to returning. (Photo by PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images)
While the defender did go to play 90 minutes against Getafe, he sustained an injury in the subsequent week and has since missed four games in the league.
Xavi’s preference during Araujo’s absence
During Araujo’s absence, Xavi has been playing with Andreas Christensen and Jules Kounde as his first-choice centre-back pairing.
Furthermore, thanks to Joao Cancelo’s acquisition, the manager has not been forced to play Kounde out of his natural position, meaning that Barcelona have managed to keep two clean sheets in their last four games.
Considering the…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/boost-for-barcelona-as-defender-back-in-group-training-ahead-of-royal-antwerp-clash/
Author : Ash Reyna
Publish date : 2023-09-18 09:55:12
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