Ronald Araujo to miss Barcelona’s clash with Athletic after Valencia red card

Barcelona will have to cope without Ronald Araujo for their next La Liga match after seeing the Uruguay international sent off against Valencia.

Araujo was shown a straight red card for a last-man foul after pulling back Hugo Duro as he tried to run through on goal after a poor header from Jules Kounde.

The sending off means Araujo will be hit with a one-match ban, ruling him out of next weekend’s trip to Athletic but meaning he CAN play against Real Madrid in El Clasico.

The absence of Araujo will be a huge blow for Xavi’s side, particularly as he’s been in exemplary form this season.

However, the fact he’s available for the visit of Madrid will be a relief. Araujo has been used to effectively nullify the threat of Vinicius Junior in recent meetings with Los Blancos.

Xavi will have to make a change to his defence against Athletic, however, The coach could use Marcos Alonso or Eric Garcia to replace Araujo or shift Jules Kounde to center-back.