Barcelona defensive heavyweight targeting comeback against Real Betis | OneFootball

The past week or so has been a challenging one for Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo, with his costly mistake against Chelsea putting him under intense scrutiny.

The 26-year-old defender ended up missing the weekend La Liga clash vs Deportivo Alaves due to a stomach bug, although it is understood that he has been severely affected by his error against Chelsea, and the club staff preferred that he take a break.

As things stand, Araujo did not train with the squad today either and will be unavailable against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night.

Target Real Betis

Providing an update on the situation, journalist Alfredo Martinez reports that Araujo trained inside the gym facilities at the Ciutat Esportiva today.

The Barcelona second captain will continue to test himself in training in the coming days and has set himself the objective of returning in time to face Real Betis at the weekend.

Araujo eyeing comeback against Real Betis. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

When asked about Araujo’s situation earlier today in his press conference, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick did not give much away, saying:

“Ronald isn’t ready, it’s a private matter, and I don’t want to say any more. I’d ask you to respect that, it’s all I can and will say.”

Furthermore, Araujo’s agents, Edoardo Crnjar and Edoardo Mazzolari, held a meeting with Barça sporting director Deco today as well to discuss the defender’s situation.

The 26-year-old defender has the club’s full backing and support, even though there is acknowledgement that the mistake against Chelsea was a big one.

For now, Araujo is working on his recovery and will be aiming to make his comeback at the weekend when Barcelona travel to Seville to face Real Betis.