Barcelona have been sliding in recent weeks. First, it was a 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad before the November international fixtures. Then, the Blaugrana collapsed and dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo before suffering a shock loss to Las Palmas.
This weekend, Barcelona dropped more points in LaLiga to put rivals Real Madrid, whom they embarrassed 4-0 last month, within striking distance of first place, drawing 2-2 to Real Betis.
As Barcelona do their best to get back on the right track in what is now Hansi Flick’s first real challenge as the club’s new manager, they could be getting a key boost to their lineup.
Barcelona will face Champions League Finalists Borussia Dortmund, who have struggles of their own this season with a less impressive new manager and are outside the top four in the Bundesliga.
According to Mundo Deportivo’s Jordi Battle, Barcelona center back Ronald Araujo has returned to training with the rest of his teammates, and it is possible the versatile defender is available against Dortmund on Dec. 11.
While it may be too soon for Barcelona to start Araujo over either Pau Cubarsi or Inigo Martinez in central defense, having Araujo has an option, especially against a team with athletic forwards like Dortmund, is a huge boost.
Despite his disciplinary issues and inconsistency, the young Uruguayan is a legitimately world-class defender when at his best and is wanted by virtually every top club in Europe, should he ever become available for transfer.
In fact, this pat summer, there were rumblings that Araujo could be sold, but Flick and the Barcelona decision-makers ultimately decided to keep him. Araujo has been out since July in Copa America with a torn left biceps femoris muscle in the hamstring.
It is best for Barcelona to ease Araujo back into action, as an aggravation of a serious injury is the last thing they need, especially since Araujo can form a dominant pairing with Cubarsi for the next five years in LaLiga.
Araujo could be a big boost against Dortmund, but even if he doesn’t start until a week or so later, his return from injury is coming at the perfect time for a Barcelona team that has looked shaky, at times, defensively against beatable opponents like Celta Vigo, Las Palmas, and, now, Real Betis.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.