Getty
Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has welcomed key defender Ronald Araujo back to his squad for Saturday’s crunch La Liga match with Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
Araujo has been out of action since suffering a sprained ankle against Real Betis, causing the 21-year-old to sit out Barca’s last five matches in all competitions. However, the defender has been passed fit and is one of 22 players called up for the match.
The squad for #SevillaBarça!
💪🟦🟥
Barca will be without midfielder Miralem Pjanic for the game. The club confirmed that the 30-year-old is “ruled out with an ankle problem.” Pjanic joins Ansu Fati, Sergi Roberto, Philippe Coutinho, and Ansu Fati on the sidelines.
The former Juventus man is replaced in the squad by 18-year-old Ilaix Moriba. The teenager made his first-team debut in January against Cornella in the Copa del Rey and played his first La Liga game against Alaves earlier this month.
Barca head into Saturday’s match two points and one place above Sevilla in the table in Spain but Julen Lopeteui’s do have a game in hand. The two teams meet again on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey with Sevilla 2-0 up after the first leg.
Follow the Heavy on Barcelona Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Will Araujo Play Against Sevilla?
Araujo may be back in the squad but it’s not clear if the Uruguay international will go straight back into the team. Koeman was asked about the youngster in his pre-match press conference but gave little away about his team selection.
He’s in the squad and has the same chances as everyone else to play. We’ll see tomorrow if he’ll play. He’s been having a great season and has shown his quality and physicality. It’s really important to have people like him in the team. As I said the other day, he still needs to improve his game with the ball but defensively he’s always given us a lot.
Araujo has impressed this season and seems to have moved ahead of both Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti in the pecking order at the Camp Nou. The youngster’s return from injury could see him play alongside Gerard Pique in central defense and becomes Koeman’s preferred pairing for the rest of the season, according to Diario Sport’s Jordi Gil.
Koeman Talks Sevilla
Barca were beaten 2-0 by Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium just over two weeks ago in the Copa del Rey, but Koeman is expecting a very different match this time around.
They are two different games. Tomorrow we play for La Liga, and Wednesday for the Copa del Rey. We have to win both games. We know the Copa result is 2-0 and tomorrow we need to continue with our good run to add points and press the top teams in La Liga. I think they have a little bit of an advantage because they didn’t play in the week but we did but I think we’re ready.
The Catalan giants head into the match fresh from a morale-boosting win over Elche in midweek that followed on from disappointing results against Cadiz in La Liga and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Saturday’s match promises to be a tight affair and one Barcelona simply can’t afford to lose if they are to keep their slim title hopes alive. Victory against Sevilla would also further boost confidence ahead of the Copa del Rey game on Wednesday where Barca need to produce something special to overturn a 2-0 deficit and secure a place in the final.
READ NEXT: Messi Surprises Goalkeeper After Barcelona Win [WATCH]