Barcelona’s Ronald Araújo injured in El Clásico: what injury does he have and how long will he be out?
Araújo, who scored an own goal against Real Madrid, faces a race to be fit for the Copa del Rey semi-final.
Sunday night was a roaring success for Barcelona. Not only did they beat El Clásico rivals Real Madrid (which is always welcome), but they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in injury-time (is there a better way to win a game?), with Franck Kessié's winner coming just minutes after Los Blancos thought they had taken all three points thanks to Marco Asensio’s ‘goal’, which was ultimately ruled offside. And to top it all off, Xavi Hernández’s side have moved 12 points clear at the top of LaLiga with 12 games left to play, bringing into play the possibility of them winning the Spanish title by a record margin.
Big smiles in Barcelona this morning as they go 12 points clear in #LaLigaSantander.@socios | #TheFansGame pic.twitter.com/9tdAUeWA0b
— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) March 20, 2023
Araújo injured despite playing 90 minutes
Barça have, however, come away from the game with one negative, namely an injury picked up by defender Ronald Araújo. The club confirmed on Monday that the Uruguayan had undergone tests for a thigh injury, which revealed a strain. No timeframe has been put on a possible absence, but Araújo will now be forced to sit out his country’s friendly matches against Japan and South Korea over the next week or so.
The Barcelona statement reads:
“Tests performed this Monday morning have revealed that Ronald Araujo has strained an adductor muscle in his left thigh, and he will not be able to play until the injury has healed.
The Uruguayan was able to complete Sunday’s Clásico at Spotify Camp Nou, in which he had unfortunately scored Madrid’s only goal by deflecting the ball into his own net. But other than that accident, he performed outstandingly, both in defence and when moving up to support the attack”.
Araújo vs Vinícius Júnior: part four
Xavi: Real Madrid's kryptonite
As has become habitual in El Clásico, Araújo moved away from his regular place in the centre of the Barça defence and was handed the task of man-marking Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior, who he had successfully shackled in three previous meetings. Although the Brazilian had more joy against his opponent on Sunday than on previous occasions, Barcelona have now won all four matches in which the pair have played directly against each other.
When do Barcelona play next?
Barcelona’s next league game after the international break sees them travel to face bottom-of-the-table Elche on 1 April. Xavi will be desperate to have Araújo back for another meeting with Real Madrid at Camp Nou in the second leg of the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey a few days later (5 April). Barça lead 1-0 from the first leg.