Hansi Flick should really start €25 million-rated Barcelona player against Real Oviedo — Opinion | OneFootball

FC Barcelona prepare to face Real Oviedo later today in an important La Liga game. Real Madrid’s win against Villarreal last night has put them ahead of the Catalan club in the table, with the pressure now on Hansi Flick’s men.

Barcelona are coming off a 1-2 league loss to Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena in a very frustrating game. However, they bounced back with a 4-2 win over Slavia Praha in the Champions League midweek.

Now they face La Liga’s wooden-spooners, Real Oviedo, at home in a game they are expected to win at all costs. However, Hansi Flick will have to contend with the absence of Pedri, who picked up a hamstring injury in the midweek game against Slavia.

Replacing Pedri is close to impossible, and it is more important that Barcelona find a way to play without their talisman. There are options, including Dani Olmo in a deeper position, which is the route Flick opted for against Slavia.

Meanwhile, against Oviedo, Sempre Barca believe Flick should make another brave call in the XI. It is the perfect game to reintegrate club captain Ronald Araujo into the starting line-up to help him build some match fitness.

Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images

The €25 million-rated Uruguayan centre-back has hardly seen minutes since that infamous night at Stamford Bridge, but came on against Slavia midweek and had a very promising cameo. He looked energised and showcased some of his best qualities.

Araujo, when fit and in form, is one of the best recovery defenders. Oviedo, with all due respect, is a game that should help the South American build some form and, hopefully, become a player Flick can depend on in the coming weeks.

In his absence, Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia have played too many minutes, with the former looking tired. He should continue to rest tonight, with Araujo and Eric a partnership that can complement each other quite admirably.

Hansi Flick effectively has just three central defenders at his disposal. Gerard Martin has performed admirably whenever called upon in this position, but the return of Araujo is crucial for Barcelona ahead of an important end to the season.

Playing Oviedo at home, if Araujo can produce a good performance, it would do a lot to earn back the fans’ trust. However, his real test will come on big European nights, which is where he has struggled most. That said, it is important not to get ahead of ourselves with regard to the Uruguayan and to take each game as it comes.