Relief at Barcelona! Ronald Araujo is not injured and is set to face Rayo

Ronald Araujo gave a huge scare to FC Barcelona in the victory against Sevilla. The Uruguayan center-back had to leave the field at Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán after a hard tackle from Saúl Ñíguez caused him significant discomfort in his right ankle. Alarm bells rang in the Catalan capital, where they feared the worst for a player who had already missed the first half of the season due to an injury that required surgery.

The defender sat on the bench and ice was quickly applied to the affected area. The initial forecasts pointed to a sprain that would keep him sidelined for two to three weeks. However, fortunately, the medical tests he underwent on Monday morning have ruled out any type of injury and it seems to have only resulted in a severe bruise.

This is reported by 'SPORT', which states that club sources have informed that the medical staff will closely monitor Araujo's progress over the coming days and do not rule out his presence in the match next Monday, February 17 against Rayo Vallecano in Montjuïc.

A relief for Barça... and for Araujo

The news is excellent for Barça and, above all, for the Uruguayan, who was starting to earn a starting position in recent matches and needed to continue accumulating minutes to gain rhythm and adapt to the advanced line of Hansi Flick. If the worst forecasts had been confirmed, the defender's progress would have been halted and his place could have been at risk.

The competition in central defense is at a 'boiling point'. Araujo was beginning to re-establish the partnership with Pau Cubarsí, but Iñigo Martínez and Eric García are performing at a very high level and are vying for a spot in the starting eleven. Therefore, the absence of injury for the Uruguayan is a relief for the player himself, who can continue to compete head-to-head with his positional teammates.