Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo returned to training on Monday after weeks away for what local media said was a mental health break, boosting the Liga leaders’ defensive options before this weekend’s Catalan derby.
The Uruguay international emerged with his teammates and manager Hansi Flick during an open-door training session at the club’s Johan Cruyff Stadium, an AFP journalist saw.
Flick had said Araujo was unavailable for “a private situation”, days after the defender faced criticism for a red card that precipitated Barcelona’s collapse to a 3-0 Champions League defeat at Chelsea.
His return to action before Saturday’s derby at Espanyol comes with fellow centre-back Andreas Christensen expected to miss several months due to a knee injury.
The RCDE Stadium is poised to host one of the most intriguing Barcelona derbies in recent times, as fifth-place Espanyol enjoy one of their best seasons in living memory after narrowly avoiding relegation in 2024/25.
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