Barcelona defender facing muscle discomfort, could be rested for Betis clash

Barcelona took on Atletico Madrid on the weekend and produced one of the games of the season. After taking an early lead through Ousmane Dembele, the Catalans held through the rest of the game courtesy of a spectacular defensive display from Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo.

These two, along with Jules Kounde have been lauded for their defensive displays throughout the season. However, their injury issues meant Barça crashed out of the Champions League in the group stages.

These problems have not escaped the Blaugranes, either, with reports from Gol, as relayed by Gerard Romero, claiming that Araujo has picked up some muscle discomfort and could miss the game tonight.

Barcelona are set to take on Real Betis in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals tonight. If they manage to get past the Copa del Rey champions, Xavi’s men will lock horns against Real Madrid in an El Clasico final.

Araujo is essential for Barcelona and the same has been proven time and again this season. His aggressive 1v1 defending complements Kounde and Christensen’s passive style.

His injury is especially concerning because the centre-back is coming off a three-month layoff after going under the knife. He also missed Uruguay’s World Cup cameo as the South American nation crashed out in the group stages.

Araujo’s injury history has not been very kind to him, and this could be another nail in the coffin for the 23-year-old.

As for replacements, Xavi has the services of Kounde, Christensen, Eric Garcia, and even Marcos Alonso at his disposal in central defence.

He could opt to use Kounde and Christensen in central defence while using one of Sergi Roberto, Hector Bellerin or Alejandro Balde as the right-back.