Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo returned to training on Monday after weeks away for what local media reported was a mental health break, boosting the League leaders’ defensive options ahead of this weekend’s Catalan derby.
The Uruguay international appeared alongside his teammates and manager Hansi Flick during an open training session at the club’s Johan Cruyff Stadium as a AFP journalist saw.
Flick had said Araujo was unavailable due to “a private situation”, days after the defender was criticized for a red card that hastened Barcelona’s collapse to a 0-3 Champions League defeat at Chelsea.
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His return to action ahead of 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 set to host one of the most intriguing Barcelona derbies in recent times as fifth-placed Espanyol are enjoying one of their best seasons in living memory after narrowly avoiding relegation in 2024-25.
Published on December 30, 2025
