Barcelona defeated Almeria in a close 3-2 encounter on Wednesday with Sergi Roberto netting twice for the Blaugrana but it came at a cost as defender Ronald Araujo complained of jaw discomfort after the match.
Araujo didn’t have the greatest night as he was at fault for both of Almeria’s goals but the Uruguayan remains one of Xavi Hernandez’s most important men.
The 24-year-old broke his jaw earlier this month but continued to play as Xavi didn’t have many players at his disposal due to Barcelona’s constant battle with injuries.
Barca travelled to the United States of America (USA) to play a friendly against Club America in Dallas and Araujo wasn’t part of the 27-man squad announced by Xavi to travel all the way to the States.
“Ronald Araujo is not travelling because he has medical check-ups scheduled regarding the knock he took to his jawbone and which means he has to play games wearing a facemask,” the club said in a brief statement.
Araujo will remain in Barcelona where he will undergo tests in the upcoming days.
Other than the Uruguayan, Barca’s captain Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Inigo Martinez, Pedri, Marcos Alonso, and Gavi will remain in the city as they recover from their injuries.
Barcelona’s squad to play Club America:
Joao Cancelo, Alejandro Balde, Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Inaki Pena, Joao Felix, Andreas Christensen, Romeu Oriol, Sergi Roberto, Frenkie De Jong, Ilkay Gundogan, Jules Kounde, Astralaga, Lamine Yamal, Alarcón, M. Casado, Kochen, Fermín, Cubarsí, Unai, Marc Guiu, H. Fort, Gerard Martín, Mikayil, Mbacke and Pau Prim.
It must be noted that Xavi is likely to use youngsters as they play in America less than 36 hours after playing a high-intensity match against Almeria. The club would be hoping to not pick any injuries during the match as they are already without some key players.