Barcelona are struggling for options ahead of Thursday’s match against Osasuna, and another looks to have fallen by the wayside in the last 24 hours.
The unusual kick-off date, which has come about after the original fixture between the two teams was postponed due to the sudden passing of Barcelona doctor Carles Minarro Garcia, has thrown a spanner in the work for the Catalan side, who are facing a gruelling schedule in the coming weeks.
Pau Cubarsi is a doubt for the match after picking up an injury whilst on international duty with Spain, while Raphinha and Ronald Araujo are also both expected to miss out due to play for their respective countries less than 48 hours prior to kick-off at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
However, Barcelona had some hope that Araujo would at least be able to play after it emerged that Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa was considering resting the defender for their 2026 World Cup qualifier against Bolivia. But it has now been confirmed that this will not happen, as per MD.
Araujo has been named in the 26-man squad that will travel to La Paz, and should he play a significant portion of the match, it would be a major surprise to see him start for Barcelona two days later – even though he is projected to land back in the Catalan capital with time to spare before kick-off.
Due to the gruelling run that Barcelona are facing, head coach Hansi Flick will be keen to take no chances with overplaying Araujo, who has suffered multiple muscle injuries in the last few years.
This means that Flick will likely only have Eric Garcia and Inigo Martinez, who is only just returning from a knee injury, as options to start in central defence against Osasuna. Needless to say, it is far from ideal for Barcelona.
