Araujo Vanishes on the Radar as Barça Brace for Alavés, Pedri Makes a Quiet Return
28 November 2025
Araujo's Absence Sparks Mystery
A Spanish press report shines a light on Ronald Araújo, Barcelona's defender, ahead of their Saturday La Liga clash with Deportivo Alavés.
Mundo Deportivo reports that Araújo did not take part in Friday's training, ruling him out of the session for the second day in a row.
The paper adds that Barcelona has not disclosed the reason for his absence.
Pedri Returns
In contrast, Pedri rejoined training with the squad and is available for the Alavés match after recovering from a thigh muscle injury.
He picked up the issue during the Clasico on October 26, when Real Madrid won 2-1 at the Bernabéu.
Although it is unlikely Pedri will start, he could feature from the bench.
Midfield Depth Boosts
The report says coach Hansi Flick has more options in midfield, though the absence of Fermín López has become a problem again after an injury to his right leg that will sideline him for two weeks; Dani Olmo might take on an attacking midfield role.
The Brazilian Rafinha is expected to be ready for the starting XI after he played a brief spell against Athletic Bilbao and Chelsea.
With the return of the goalkeeper, Rafinha, and now Pedri, the coach faces the final stretch of 2025 with better preparation for tougher tests in La Liga and the Champions League.
Domestic Stability, European Flux
Barça, the defending triple domestic champions last season, sit second in the table, just one point behind Real Madrid, who lead and host Girona on Sunday.
After 13 rounds, Barça have 10 wins, one draw and two losses, with 36 goals scored and 15 conceded.
In Europe, the Catalan side's form has fluctuated after a strong start in the first five Champions League games: a win at Newcastle, a home loss to Paris Saint-Germain, a 6-1 home win over Olympiakos, followed by back-to-back struggles with a 3-3 draw at Brugge and a Chelsea defeat in London.
The Catalans still have three group games remaining—against Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague, and Copenhagen—and hope to seal progression to the last 16, avoiding tougher ties in the playoff. At present the team sit 18th in the table with 7 points.
