FC Barcelona faces Elche this Sunday in Montjuïc with Ronald Araujo back as captain and leader of the defense. The Uruguayan was a substitute against Girona and Real Madrid, in addition to the Champions League match against Olympiacos due to a technical decision. Finally, Hansi Flick has opted for the '4' from the start instead of a Pau Cubarsí who is not having his best moment.

The 18-year-old defender has been weighed down by the absence of Iñigo Martínez and has not quite settled in as a left center-back. Eric García, on the other hand, has earned the trust of the German coach and already has 11 appearances as a starter in the 14 matches played by Barça.

For Araujo, however, Sunday is only his 7th appearance in the Barça XI. The player from Rivera had not appeared in the lineup since matchday 8 of La Liga, against Sevilla, a match in which he only played the first half after committing a controversial penalty and leaving for halftime with a warning.

Ronald Araujo and a Key Opportunity in the Barça-Elche Match

After the break, the 'charrúa' was the hero of the victory against Girona (2-1), scoring the winning goal in stoppage time of a match where he entered in the 82nd minute to play as a '9'. His stellar appearance in the derby, however, was not enough to get him out of the bench against Olympiacos (he played 15') and Real Madrid (he entered again in the 75').

In the Clásico, he was close to being a protagonist again in the opponent's area, but César Soto Grado and the VAR overlooked a possible penalty by Dani Carvajal on Ronald after a push inside the area. Against Elche, Araujo hopes to lead a defense that has already conceded in 7 consecutive matches (12 goals conceded).

Ronald Araujo protests to referee Alejandro Hernández in the Levante-Barça (2-3) match

In that sense, Hansi Flick still considers the South American center-back a key piece in his rotation plan, but clearly the '4' has been surpassed at the start of the season by an Eric García who had already earned his place in the final stretch of 24/25, replacing Jules Koundé.

Araujo, however, has not yet recovered his best physical form after the injury to his right thigh that prevented him from being available during the first half of the previous season. The 26-year-old center-back, so far, has accumulated 527 minutes of action in the 25/26 season, spread across 10 appearances. He only didn't play in 3 matches (Rayo, Valencia, and PSG).

Araujo goes for his third goal in LaLiga against Elche

Beyond not being a regular player in the Blaugrana XI this season, the Uruguayan international already has 2 goals in LaLiga. Prior to the winning goal against Girona, Ronald also scored against Oviedo (1-3), the goal that sealed what, for the moment, is the last away win for the 'culés'.

Then came the defeats against Sevilla and Real Madrid, results that have distanced Flick's team from the lead. Barça is obliged to defeat Elche to get back to within 5 points of the 'Casa Blanca', who already won their J11 match with a rout against Valencia (4-0).