The ‘miracle’ Araújo is still possible

Good news for Ronald Araújo. The tests he underwent this morning have confirmed that there is no muscle rupture: he only has an overload in the soleus of his left leg. As we anticipated in AS, his presence ahead of Thursday’s game against Napoli looks very complicated, since in just four days it seems very risky to recover 100% of the player, but at the club they are beginning to get used to the miraculous recoveries of the center-back, like when he played four days after being operated on for a broken hand, so that no one in the locker room totally rules out Araújo for the Europa League premiere. “It’s very difficult, but we’ll see how he evolves in the next few days,” they point out within the club about the options for the international to reach the match against Napoli.

So, while waiting for Araújo’s progress, Xavi will have to improvise a couple of central defenders for the match against Napoli at the Camp Nou. If there are no setbacks in the coming days, it will be Eric Garcia who will accompany Gerard Piqué in the rearguard. The former City player, coming off a muscle injury that has left him out of the game for five weeks, paid dearly for his inactivity in the 45 minutes he played in the derby, as he suffered unspeakably to stop Raúl from Tomás, eating the Blue and White striker’s goal by not measuring the spaces well.

Now, if finally Araújo does not arrive on time, Eric will have a litmus test, with Lorenzo Insigne, as the maximum attacking danger of the Neapolitan group. It must be remembered that the injuries to Frenchmen Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet leave the coach very little room for maneuver, who apart from Eric only has Óscar Mingueza as options behind.

And if against Napoli everything points to a new pair of central defenders, against Valencia, this Sunday, Xavi will also have to line up a different one: Gerard Piqué’s suspension will force the coaches to reformulate the central axis. Here it is expected to have fully recovered Araújo, who would partner with Eric Garcia, if there are no last minute surprises.

With whom surely he will not be able to count on in any of the two games is Dani Alves. Xavi will have to turn to Sergiño Destas he did in the derby, although the American has not convinced him, at least for the match against Napoli.