Barcelona have received a positive update on Ronald Araujo’s fitness following their 4-1 win at Sevilla.
La Blaugrana grabbed their opportunity in Andalucia following a 1-1 draw in this weekend’s Madrid derby as they closed the title gap.
Hansi Flick’s side are now just one point behind second place Atletico Madrid and two behind leaders Real Madrid after 23 games played.
Four goals on the night capped off another dominant Barcelona performance with the in-form Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha both on target.
However, the trip to the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan was not perfect for Flick, with Fermin Lopez sent off and Ronald Araujo suffering an early injury.
Lopez scored Barcelona’s second goal of the night, but his yellow card was upgraded to a red, following a VAR check.
The Spanish international now faces a ban, which could be up to three games, depending on La Liga’s decision.
Concern over Araujo was addressed immediately by Flick at full time, and he confirmed the Uruguayan will undergo tests in the coming days, to assess the extent of the injury.
After being forced off on 22 minutes, Barcelona fans feared the worst, but Flick is upbeat on the situation.
“We expect test results tomorrow and we hope it’s not too serious. That’s what it looks like right now,” as per reports from Marca.
The early indications hint he will miss at least a brief period of action and he is likely to miss their incoming home clash against in-form Rayo Vallecano on February 17.
Eric Garcia replaced Araujo in the game, and netted a late fourth goal for Barcelona, and he is set to step in for the 25-year-old depending on his absence.
Flick offered a brief update on Lopez and claimed he will learn from the lack of control which saw him sent off for the first time in his career.
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