List of matches Araujo will miss due to thigh injury

After an excellent start to the new season, Barcelona appear to be in a spot of bother as they have been handed four injury blows since the start of the international break.

Ronald Araujo has picked up the most serious injury, sustaining a knock in the friendly against Iran. Experts believe the defender has broken his adductor, which could see him on the sidelines for a considerable period.

In the case of an adductor avulsion, the Uruguayan may even need to undergo surgery, which could potentially see him miss out on the FIFA World Cup.

Araujo’s absence will be devastating for Barcelona and even if we assume the player has simply broken his adductor, he is still expected to miss out on a chunk of the season.

The defender could miss out on the entirety of the October schedule, which includes crucial match-ups against Inter Milan, Villarreal and the revered El Clasico against Real Madrid.

The Uruguayan international may also miss out on games against Bayern Munich and Valencia, up until the November 7 encounter against UD Almeria.

This timeline, as harsh as it may seem, is actually quite liberal given his injury. There is a chance he could be out till the World Cup commences, putting his place there with Uruguay under major jeapordy.

Araujo’s prolonged absence may potentially have a major impact on Barcelona’s hopes of keeping up with Real Madrid for the title race, as well as the club’s chances of qualifying for the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League.

However, during the start of the season, the Barcelona board had prepared for such a calamity and as such, did an excellent job of adding a great amount of depth to the first team.

With Araujo likely to miss out for a considerable period, the onus should be on the likes of Andreas Christensen and Eric Garcia to fill in for him. Even Gerard Pique could see more action after a slow start to the campaign that saw the veteran muster only a single start in the league.