Ronald Koeman will have to face the next matches with the handicap of having only two centers available in the first team: Gerard Piqué and Clement Lenglet. And it is that the tests to which the central Ronald was submitted this afternoon Araújo confirmed a tear in the biceps femoris of the right leg, which as AS has learned, it could take him off the pitch for three to four weeks.
Undoubtedly, a great inconvenience in the plans of the Dutch coach, since Araújo's loss, we must also add that of the subsidiary's central, Óscar Mingueza, who suffered a break in the hamstrings of his left leg last weekend, with an initial forecast of two weeks low.
So right now Koeman only has the Argentine central of the subsidiary Ramos Mingo, for replacement in LaLiga matches, since in the Champions League, he will have to make use of alternatives in the first team, as he did during the second half against Juventus, betting successfully on Frenkie de Jong, who had already played in that position in a timely manner in the Ajax.
So that, Araújo will miss at least the next three games: Alavés, Dinamo Kiev and Betis. And is that after the game against the Verdiblanco team, there is a break of almost two weeks due to the international commitments of the teams, returning on November 21 against Atlético de Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano. In the most optimistic forecasts, the Uruguayan center-back could already be recovered for this match.
In any case, it is already totally ruled out, not only for the next three games but also to participate with his team. A small setback for his progress, both at Barcelona and with Uruguay, but it must be taken into account that this type of injury requires a slow recovery to avoid relapses.