Why is Ronald Araujo Not Playing in Barcelona vs Frankfurt Tonight?

Barcelona returned to form after a reverse in the Champions League against Chelsea recently. The Catalans won three straight league games with a combined scoreline of 11-5 and stretched their lead to four points at the top of the table. However, their vice captain, Ronald Araujo, is not expected to link up with FC Barcelona for their fixture against Frankfurt on Tuesday night. Find out Is Ronald Araujo playing today and more

Is Ronald Araujo playing in Barcelona vs Frankfurt?

Ronald Araujo last started for Barcelona in their much-anticipated Champions League clash against Chelsea. He donned the armband and was leading his side. They were trailing 1-0 heading towards the end of the first half. Araujo upended Marc Cucurella despite being on a yellow card in the 44th minute.

The referee didn't need a second look and provided a second yellow card to send him off. His side went down to 10 and lost the game 3-0. It was another black mark on Araujo's big game resume. Since he received a red card, he is ineligible to play in the Champions League for at least one game. So Ronald Araujo won't be playing today.

Is Ronald Araujo Playing today?

Since Ronald Araujo's ban applies only to European games, you might be wondering why Ronald Araujo has not played for the club after the game against Chelsea. It comes down to the Uruguayan centre-back taking a compassionate leave. To protect his mental health, he decided to take a break midseason.

Despite being physically fit, he opted out of playing to make sure he recovers fully and can return to form. The club granted him time to address the issues and return only when he feels so. “Ronald is not ready at the moment,” manager Hansi Flick said. “It’s a private situation, and I don’t want to say more, and please also respect it. This is what I can say and what I want to say.”

Even the club released a statement in Araujo's support. “He has our full support. The entire club, teammates and staff are with him, and we look forward to having him back,” they said in a statement.

In a time and age where mental health is as important as physical health, Araujo did the right thing by taking some time off instead of suffering in silence. Although there is no telling when he will be back, he will only come back when he is in the right frame of mind.